Olive oil producer

She began her ONAOO courses in March 2023. She completed technical, advanced, and tasting courses, earning the title of ‘Assaggiatore Professionista ONAOO’ in November 2025. Throughout this process, she was able to learn about different cultivars, which are not easy to access, experience the oil tasting procedure, and witness its contribution to high-quality olive oil production and healthy olive oil consumption. She believes that continuing the activities and tasting sessions at ONAOO will have a priceless contribution to her work as an olive oil producer.

Marco’s academic credentials—a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Banking, a Master’s degree in Family Mediation, and twenty years of work at a banking institution—did not dissuade him from pursuing a new career path in 2016.

His roots were firmly planted in his family’s olive grove in upper Tuscia (meaning the Viterbese area and generally upper Lazio). From an early age, this location represented leisure, feasting, and conviviality during the harvesting and oil production seasons.

As he matured, he embarked on a new adventure with the goal of emulating his Etruscan ancestors, the first true ambassadors of the culture of olive oil of exceptional quality. He pursued his education primarily through the large family of ONAOO and in March 2022, he graduated as a Professional Taster.

For the past three years, he has been based in Bavaria, where he runs a business offering both advisory services to specialty retailers and restaurateurs and the import and sale of high-quality extra virgin olive oil.

Elena Tordi, the daughter of olive oil producers who have not been active since the 90s, represents the fourth generation of a family with a long-standing tradition in the art of olive cultivation. Born in Orvieto, Umbria, she has lived in Milan for over forty years.

As the administrative manager, she is a partner in her husband Daniele Arduino’s family business, “A Nolo Auto 1956”, which specializes in chauffeur services. The company serves prestigious clients, including five-star hotels and embassies from countries such as Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia. Since 2013, Elena has been a food writer and food blogger, deeply passionate about the culinary arts.

She is the author of the blog “Lumachella e Panettone”, where she shares stories about food, traditions, and the regions of Italy. Her passion for communication led her to study social media and web strategies at A.C. Academy. Olive oil, which holds deep personal significance for Elena due to its connection with her family’s past, has taken on a new meaning in her professional journey. Embracing the famous quote by the philosopher Socrates, “I know that I know nothing,” she embarked on a continuous path of learning and development in the field. She began reading books and attending conferences dedicated to olive oil, meeting Luigi Caricato, an oleologist, writer, and journalist, who became her guide in the world of olive oil.

In 2019, at the Olio Officina Festival, she discovered the ONAOO (National Organization of Olive Oil Tasters) school, an encounter that marked a significant step in her career. In 2022, she earned the certification in Physiological Suitability for Olive Oil Tasting and continued her studies with an advanced course that ended in 2024 by becoming a professional taster. Since February 2024, Elena has been listed in the national registry of technicians and experts in virgin and extra virgin olive oils, Lombardy section.

Her passion for olive oil and the olive tree has become a symbol of strength, values, and traditions, all of which were passed down to her by her mother Nives and her father Luigi, who instilled in her a deep love for this extraordinary 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).