Co-owner of shop Stig’s Oliven retail shop with delikatessen, wine, extra virgin olive oil etc. Also sommelier in wine from the Wine Academy in Denmark.
Technical Course in 2022, advanced course finished as a professional oliveoil taster in November 2025. I attended at the ONAOO meeting in Naples 2023.
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.
Alessandra has been studies in ONAOO since 2020. After the official technical course, which released her the Certificate of Physiological Suitability for tasting, and after the certified tasting session, she has been subscribed in the “The National Register of Technicians and Experts of Virgin and Extra Virgin Olive Oils” of Region Liguria since 2022.
In 2023, passing the exam of the 2-year advanced course, she obtained the qualification of ONAOO Professional Taster and she is in the International Register of Professional Tasters.
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.
Antonella has been an ONAOO professional taster since 2017.
After obtaining her sensory certification, she has been a member and judge of the Swiss Olive Oil Panel (SOP) at the ZHAW School of Life Sciences and Facility Management since 2002.
Since 2002 she has been a judge for the “ZHAW International Olive Oil Award” and other international competitions. She is the owner and managing director of “Mitera GmbH”: a producer of Cretan millennial quality olive oil, approved by DNA in both Crete and Umbria. She is also a nutritionist.
Professional Taster since 2024
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.
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