“Olive oil is not an agricultural trade, it is a product of Love and Faith”.
Born in Baassir (Lebanon), one of the oldest countries to ever produce olive oil in the world, Ibrahim Al Kaakour is continuing an over 300 year old family legacy in the cultivation of olive oil.
Graduate of Electrical and Computer Engineering from the American University of Beirut and a holder of an Executive MBA with a focus on finance from Ésa/ESCP Europe, Ibrahim did not let his daily routine sway him from becoming a professional taster and a master blender/producer of olive oil.
To give homage to both his paternal Lebanese and maternal Greek Heritage, He currently owns two brands that he developed under his company LGOO with a luxury line of exquisite blends of olive oil, honey and many other organic products in state of the art branding.
Ibrahim is also keen on helping the local communities to improve the quality of olive oil and spread not only the know-who that he acquired as an olive oil sommelier, but also the culture, the roots and the love that he shares by hosting tasting sessions and introductory seminars in the olive oil center of the family Villa in the beautiful Mediterranean town of Baassir (a syriac aramian name that translates to “The House of Juice”).
From 2017 he is Member of ONAOO where he started his educational path. On January 2020 he concluded his studies by obtaining the Qualification of Professional Taster of ONAOO.

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.

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.

From 1988 to 1993 Sandro worked as a Buyer for “Despar Ceda Srl”. From 1993 to 1999 he worked as Category Manager for “Reggiana Alimentari”.

Since 1999 he has been Category Manager for “NORDICONAD”. From 2017 to 2020 he was Director for FIORFIORE CASH & CARRY Srl. From 2021 to 2022, he is Category Manager for CURACASA; from August 2022, he is the contact person for CONAD NORDOVEST Sales Management with the Localism Project.

Sandro has also been an ONAOO Professional Taster since 2012 and he is on the regional and national lists of olive oil experts.