Emily Lycopolus is an olive oil sommelier, professional olive oil taster, and author. She holds a degree in Life Sciences from Queen’s University, where she combined her love for science and discovery with a deep passion for food and flavors.
Additionally, she completed a master’s degree in cultural anthropology, transforming her kitchen into a space of exploration and learning. Her dedication to olive oil began in her husband’s family olive grove, an experience that marked the start of a career that now spans over 15 years. Emily has taught more than 500 culinary students and introduced numerous enthusiasts to the art of tasting and using olive oil. She is frequently consulted as an expert by retailers and food distributors for product category management, marketing strategies, and culinary pairings.
A faculty member at George Brown College, Center for Hospitality and Culinary Arts, Emily is also the author of eight cookbooks, which have earned prestigious awards such as the Gourmand and Taste Canada Awards. Her books have been presented at the Nobel House in Sweden, further solidifying her esteemed reputation in the industry.
Thanks to her expert palate, Emily shares her passion for olive oil with consumers, producers, and serves as a judge in international olive oil competitions.
In Victoria, Canada, where she lives, she organizes private workshops, advanced courses, and guided tastings with the goal of educating both culinary professionals and retail experts on how to best utilize and promote this precious ingredient.
I have been a member of the Panel in the Marche Region since 2017. I am registered in the list of olive oil technicians and experts at the Ancona Chamber of Commerce, Regional Decree no. 268 dated 09/06/2015.
I attended the professional tasters’ course, lasting three years (2015/2016/2017), at Onaoo. I have participated as a taster in various olive oil events, both at an amateur level and as a jury member. I have collaborated with Onaoo as a coach for both individual and group online courses.
Being part of this association means sharing values of quality, expertise, and continuous training. It is an opportunity for professional growth and qualified exchange, allowing me to share my experience while actively contributing to the promotion of extra virgin olive oil culture.
I began my technical course at ONAOO in September 2022, building a strong foundation in extra virgin olive oil quality standards, and evaluation. In February 2023, I started the ONAOO Professional Tasting Course, further developing my sensory analysis skills and ability to assess EVOO based on official tasting methods. I completed my ONAOO course in November 2025.
Extra virgin olive oil is more than a product to me, it is a symbol of history, culture, and tradition that has been valued for thousands of years across the Mediterranean. From ancient civilizations that used olive oil for food, health, and daily life, to modern producers who preserve traditional methods while improving quality standards, olive oil has always represented purity, resilience, and connection to the land and people.
I am proud to be part of this long heritage by sourcing only exceptional EVOO and promoting oils that are authentic, fresh, and truly representative of their origin. I am committed to continuous learning and to maintaining the highest standards in quality, traceability, and transparency, so customers can experience olive oil the way it was meant to be fresh, healthy, and deeply rooted in history.
My journey in extra virgin olive oil began in 2018 at ESAO in Valencia, Oliveoil Times educational Lab in London 2020 and ONAOO since 2022-2025 where I finished as a professional oliveoil taster. I grew up in a restaurant and worked in restaurants in Copenhagen, Aix en Provence and New York.
Back in Denmark in 2006 I met Stig Larsen who had a delikatessen shop where he sold table olives, balsamico and extra virgin olive oil. Since I already knew a great deal about food and wine, we were a perfect match. While working as a waitress I took the wine sommelier education and finished in 2011. Then I began working with Stig, who later became my husband.
Now we have a small Market Hall on an island called Bornholm, where we sell extra virgin olive oil, parmesan, Parma ham, balsamico and also local delikatessen and run a cafe with tapas, sandwiches etc.
I work in our (my husband and I) market hall with delikatessen from Bornholm and the Mediterranean countries. We also do olive oil tastings, we have a cafe and do tapas and different events.
My introduction to the olive oil world was a breakthrough for me, since I have been searching for a field that I love and can be in for the rest of my life. I simply love this amazing community of people in the olive oil world.
Since 2020, she has been cultivating an olive grove in Puglia using entirely natural methods.
Using the expertise she has learned from local farmers and consolidated through her training at O.N.A.O.O., she covers the entire production chain — from land maintenance and pruning to harvesting, pressing, packaging and exporting — all carried out according to best practices.
In Switzerland, she offers her professional expertise to innovative companies in the olive oil industry, organises tastings and workshops.
She is involved in the fight against Xylella, a devastating disease affecting olive trees (https://www.tvsvizzera.it/tvs/qui-italia/quegli-svizzeri-e-quelle-svizzere-impegnati-nella-lotta-contro-la-xylella/78291581).
Emily Lycopolus is an olive oil sommelier, professional olive oil taster, and author. She holds a degree in Life Sciences from Queen’s University, where she combined her love for science and discovery with a deep passion for food and flavors.
Additionally, she completed a master’s degree in cultural anthropology, transforming her kitchen into a space of exploration and learning. Her dedication to olive oil began in her husband’s family olive grove, an experience that marked the start of a career that now spans over 15 years. Emily has taught more than 500 culinary students and introduced numerous enthusiasts to the art of tasting and using olive oil. She is frequently consulted as an expert by retailers and food distributors for product category management, marketing strategies, and culinary pairings.
A faculty member at George Brown College, Center for Hospitality and Culinary Arts, Emily is also the author of eight cookbooks, which have earned prestigious awards such as the Gourmand and Taste Canada Awards. Her books have been presented at the Nobel House in Sweden, further solidifying her esteemed reputation in the industry.
Thanks to her expert palate, Emily shares her passion for olive oil with consumers, producers, and serves as a judge in international olive oil competitions.
In Victoria, Canada, where she lives, she organizes private workshops, advanced courses, and guided tastings with the goal of educating both culinary professionals and retail experts on how to best utilize and promote this precious ingredient.
Training as professional olive oil tasters is not only a personal pleasure: the universe that revolves around olive oil and its supply chain also offers a wide range of job, growth and specialization opportunities.
The advanced course allows you to consolidate and deepen your knowledge of oil tasting and obtain the qualification of ONAOO Professional Taster, but above all, to be included in the "International Register of Professional Tasters".
Participants learn about varieties, processing, and sensory tasting, with practical exercises under the guidance of experts.
Participants are invited to recognize strengths, weaknesses, qualities and organoleptic characteristics of the various oils