Özden Gözlüklü Saka, a graduate of Dokuz Eylül University in Izmir with a degree in Business Administration, completed an MBA at the University of Sunderland’s London campus.

She currently serves on the executive committee of the Women Entrepreneurs of the Aydın Chamber of Industry and is also a member of the Women in Agriculture cooperative in Kuşadası/Aydın. She maintains her professional involvement with her family business, HAUS Centrifuge Technologies, a manufacturer of olive oil extraction machines in Turkey.

The company, which is a leading industry benchmark, is now in its third generation of family ownership. As a key member of the family business, she played a pivotal role in establishing a state-of-the-art olive oil production and research and development facility in Kuşadası/Aydın. Additionally, Özden is the founder and manager of the Defnelia extra virgin olive oil brand, which is distributed both in-store at the factory and through an online sales platform.

She takes great pride in being able to explain to her customers the importance of quality olive oil, a topic that has been a lifelong interest of hers, beginning with her childhood when she helped her mother with the olive harvest. Her personal connection to the product prompts her to appreciate the significant effort and dedication required to harvest and process olives into olive oil, a process she considers highly valuable. Özden completed her training, having begun the ONAOO technical course in 2022 in Palermo. In 2024, she earned the qualification of professional taster, which will strengthen her commitment to the industry. It will also allow her to further deepen and raise awareness of tasting techniques and interpretation of olive oil’s organoleptic characteristics.

Giovanni was born and raised in Caserta. His roots and love for his land led Giovanni to open a modern business at the foot of the Trebulani Mountains in Pontelatone (Caserta). Through path of recovery, protection, and enhancement of the most significant and ancient olive specimens, he encourages the development of marginal areas, fulfilling a remarkable biodiversity defense function.

In 2018, he enrolled in the Official Technical Course of the ONAOO School, passing the selective tests and obtaining the Certificate of Physiological Suitability. In 2019, he decided to pursue a more in-depth training path, enrolling in the Advanced Course. He passed the final exams in 2021 and obtained the ONAOO Professional Taster qualification.

He also participated in various activities organized by the School, including the ONAOO Meeting in 2020 and online tasting sessions.

Adriano was born in 1976 in Caniparola di Fosdinovo (MS) and has been a partner in the family business “Frantoio Moro” in Caniparola di Fosdinovo (MS) since 1996.

This activity allowed him to quickly learn the advantages and disadvantages of olive oil and to know much about this complex subject in a direct and detailed way, comparing him with the different territorial realities and Italian production in general. In 1999 he became an ONAOO member by attending the technical course for aspiring olive oil tasters.

Since 2002 he has been an ONAOO Professional Taster. Every year he participates in the refresher courses organized by ONAOO, where he has had the opportunity to learn about the whole world olive oil scene, evaluating the different organoleptic characteristics of each area of origin. Since 2012 he has been a member of the Tasting Committee of the Genoa Chamber of Commerce (Mipaaf recognition).

In 2015 with the achievement of eligibility for the activity he is Head Panel at the Chamber of Commerce of Pisa. He is also a juror in national tasting commissions.

Professional Taster since 2024