From September the 12th to September the 16th, the ARTOLIO project held one of its most important events to date: ARTOLIO Thessaloniki. It was an occasion where both partners and farmers belonging to the project went to know each other in person and discuss the important matters regarding the completion of the project and the steps needed to see it thrive. An essential meeting to review where the project needs to improve and what has been done correctly. 

On Thursday the 15th, a beta version of ARTOLIO's global marketing platform was introduced to all of the partners for the first time. The marketing team has been working on its design for some time now, trying to come up with new and refreshing ideas to offer farmers a decent number of services they can benefit from. Some of them include an interactive tasting map of the project's products and locations, and the profile of each farmer with their updated information, so that customers can reach out to them easily. Although it is not yet finished, the platform has received many praises and many compliments. Its beautiful design, its special functions, its shared innovation and its great potential impressed everyone. The farmers are more than ready to use it as soon as possible.

Another one of the marketing team's proposals was the setting up of an international distribution framework for the participants of ARTOLIO. The purpose is first to upgrade their experience in digital marketing. At first, the platform was built in order to facilitate and to provide some common guidelines on tax, tariffs and transportation, an instruction manual on the ARTOLIO proposed process and training, and less on the actual commercial setting up of the channel for participants. However, over time, the needs of our farmers changed and so did the project’s. Thessaloniki was the place to push forward those needs and come up with plausible solutions to these problems.

The overall goal of these tools is to aid our farmers get into the business world with their own name and brand. To provide them with the tools to do so comfortably and efficiently, so that they carve a path for themselves. So far, many of them do not have a brand name, and sell their products in bulk to bigger companies for a lesser price. In doing so, they lose ownership of their extra virgin olive oil. ARTOLIO's goal during the remainder of the project will focus on reinforcing the farmers business strategies and on upgrading the quality of their extra virgin olive oil.