George was born in Athens in 1978. He graduated with a Master of Science in Civil Engineering in 2002 and worked as a construction project manager until 2012. For the past ten years, he has developed an in-depth knowledge and appreciation for the cultivation and production of high quality olive oil, after undertaking a number of accredited training programs in Italy and Greece. His understanding of the olive fruit and talent in sensory analysis has driven him to consistently produce EVOOs that have achieved top positions in most international olive oil competitions for his company Hellenic Fields. In 2019 he began his journey of becoming a certified taster, which he completed by achieving the ONAOO Professional Taster Qualification in 2022. Currently he is honing his skills and knowledge even further by participating in tasting panels, as well as expanding his company’s portfolio of EVOOs with new varieties and blends.
Professional Taster of O.N.A.O.O. since 2022.
David began his journey with Olive Oil in 1985 as a Chef Commis at The Four Seasons Hotel in Washington, DC, USA. After five years in hotel Food and Beverage and another six in Organic and Specialty Food retail, ending at Whole Foods Markets as Director of Grocery, he entered food manufacturing, spending ten years as an Executive for the leading organic cereal company in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
In early 2006 and for the next nine years, he was President and Partner of Lucini Italia®, based in Miami, Florida, which he grew to be the premier quality Italian Olive Oil in America. David continued his passion for EVOO by founding EVOOGuy.com(R), a consultancy. Focused 100% on best–in–class Extra Virgin Olive Oils. At the same time, launching his own EVOO brand, established a Tasting Tour using a custom-designed Olive Oil truck, lecturing, and continuing to share his knowledge via his Olive Oil 101 platform. He found a partnership with the Mediterranean Diet Round (MDR) Table in 2020, a think tank to support awareness about curated EVOOs. This included a tasting class with Yale University and 100 of their students as well as numerous tasting events in New York and Notre Dame University.
Olive Oil clients David has helped build their brand and business in the USA include: Deoleo (Carapelli/Italian), Casas De Hualdo (Spanish), Oleama (Turkish), Oz Organics (Turkish), Mis Raices (Spanish), Valderamma (Spanish) and many more.
David’s first book, Extra Virgin Olive Oil—The Truth In Your Kitchen (Morgan James Publishing 2022), is available in paperback and endorsed by notable Olive Oil author, Tom Mueller, is also available as an e-book and audiobook on all the usual platforms. He has been featured on Martha Stewart, Kelly Clarkson Show, MSNBC, PBS, and many other media outlets, teaching how to taste and evaluate EVOO properly.
His participation is vast in the Olive Oil field, included many years of study at the oldest Olive Oil school in the world; O.N.A.O. O (Organizzazione Nazionale Assaggiatori Olio di Oliva) based in Imperia, Italy, an International Olive Council Accredited school. His designation as a trained Panel Taster and ONAOO Level 1 Technical Taster in 2012, as well as rising to a Professional Taster in Good Standing, 2018 – Present.
Today, David continues to use his vast knowledge in the Olive Oil world as a C-level executive for Millpress Imports / Seasons brand, based in Bethlehem, PA, and their Estate in Jaen, Spain.
Through my company Oliiv, I import, introduce, and sell high-quality extra virgin olive oil in Estonia, primarily through an online store and curated experiences. The website and e-shop provide the opportunity to learn more about each product and make informed purchases.
My activities include guided tastings, culinary pairings, and cultural events — from intimate gatherings at home to market events and musical evenings with olive-oil-based cocktails. The goal is always to spark curiosity and offer enjoyable and educational experiences centered on olive oil.
In a country where butter dominates the cuisine, there is great potential to show how olive oil can be part of a healthy, joyful Mediterranean lifestyle. For this reason, collaboration with chefs and cooking schools is becoming an important part of my work.
Looking ahead, I am particularly interested in engaging with the international olive oil community. Participating in global competitions — both as a taster and as a judge — is one of my aspirations. It is a valuable way to continue learning, contribute to quality standards, and bring new ideas and energy to the Estonian market.
We venture into the culinary world not just for taste, but also for culture. It means experiencing a moment of insight, a flash of memory, or understanding a tradition, a civilization. — Umberto Eco
Giuseppe was born in a small town in the province of Foggia, San Giovanni Rotondo.
For work reasons he moved to Campania, where he still lives today.
Strongly tied to the memories of his beloved Puglia, Giuseppe decides to open a farm to be able to carry on the family business to which his father has dedicated himself for more than 50 years; in the middle of the Tavoliere delle Puglie, every year 2,400 olive trees are finely selected in order to offer the best extra virgin olive oil.
In order to enrich his knowledge, Giuseppe decides to start his training course in the ONAOO School in 2018 and ended in 2021: after passing the exams of the Advanced Course, Giuseppe obtains the qualification of ONAOO Professional Taster.
In addition to the training activities, Giuseppe participated in the ONAOO Meeting in 2020 and other online tasting activities also organized by the School.
George was born in Athens in 1978. He graduated with a Master of Science in Civil Engineering in 2002 and worked as a construction project manager until 2012. For the past ten years, he has developed an in-depth knowledge and appreciation for the cultivation and production of high quality olive oil, after undertaking a number of accredited training programs in Italy and Greece.
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