Berk is a researcher at the World Bank with a PhD in economics.

He has been an ONAOO Professional Taster since 2022. His partner, Sarah Baird, and he have young olive trees in the South Island of New Zealand (Aotearoa) and they hope to produce extra virgin olive oil from their grove.

They live with two dogs and two sheep, love animals, and enjoy plant-based cooking.

Michelle, born in 1997, graduated in Business Administration in the University of Studies in Torino. In 2020 passed the selective trials at the end of the Official Technical Course for Olive Oil Tasters obtaining the Certificate of Physiological Suitability for Tasting. In 2022, after passing the advanced course’s exam, she became a Professional Taster of ONAOO. Currently she has been working in the family olive oil mill, F.lli Ruata S.p.a., in Baldissero d’Alba (Cuneo, Piedmont).

Marina has a degree in Food Preparation Sciences. She is currently the Quality Manager at the “Oleificio Pietro Coricelli S.p.A.”.

Marina deals with quality certifications, contacts with customers and consumers. It also deals with the surveillance of the quality of products and processes, the control of incoming oils from a sensorial point of view. She was also Head of Quality Assurance at “Carapelli Firenze” and Quality Manager of “Agnesi Spa” for the production of pasta in the Danone group. Marina has been an ONAOO Professional Taster since 2001.

Marina was the winner in 2015 of “THE GREAT CHALLENGE – THE WORLDWIDE OLIVE OIL TASTERS’ CHALLENGE” at the Milan EXPO. She regularly attends refresher courses organized by ONAOO of which she has also become a member of the Council in 2019.

Saskia was born in the Netherlands and currently lives with her beloved family in Belgium, where she practises her profession. She graduated in medicine at the University of Antwerp, specialising in gynaecology and obstetrics. In addition to her medical career, Saskia is passionate about her family, sports, creativity and cooking.

Her love for olive oil blossomed during her travels and led her to deepen her knowledge of this natural product, rich in health-promoting properties.

She attended courses at the ONAOO Institute in Imperia. In 2024, after three years of intensive training, Saskia qualified as a professional taster. Determined to make people aware of the many benefits of olive oil, she is actively expanding her network of contacts and passionately pursuing the path that this extraordinary raw material offers her. She has a particular interest in Croatian olive oil, an area she explores with great curiosity.