On March the 8th and 9th, the ARTOLIO project attended the WOOE (World Olive Oil Exhibition) as a visitor, a worldwide fair recognized by all producers and consumers of quality extra virgin olive oil. Getting to know the sector in a space where producers and connoisseurs of the field mingle and interact, as well as to get know the last tendencies of the market, is one more way of helping our farmers to make themselves known in the future. 

The first stop worth mentioning was the Olive Oil Bar, where our members enjoyed and tasted the best extra virgin olive oils of the event. The tastings showed a great variety of flavors and undertones, some sweeter, others more spicy, but in general, all worthy of accompanying any dish. The variety of flavors denotes richness, both in the production of the oil itself and in the nurturing of the olive trees. The differences between the undertones of the flavor makes consumers opt for one or the other, so it is pertinent for our farmers to seek uniqueness from the others flavors. All this also translates into the market, as the experts in the field explained in the different talks, especially the round table on olive oil distribution, marketing and consumption patterns, carried out by experts such as Sergio Caño, Professional partner at Juan Vilar Strategic Consultants, and professor of the MBA Olive Oil-Producing Companies at the University of Jaen; Sergio Miranda, CEO of “Business Integral Projects” and Founding Partner of Puente Relevo Search Fund; Juan Carlos Marin, Market Manager of Alcampo; Clara Parejas, Market Manager of Oleícola Jaén Group; Primitivo Fernández, Board member of the Olive Oil Inter-professional Association; and Carlos Tejedor, Executive partner & co-founder of IF Puente Relevo Search Fund. In a sector that until recently was stagnant in local trade, it is essential to adapt to the new times, either by optimizing resources and means of production or by adapting to customer tastes.

Among these concessions, it is worth highlighting the value of the quality certificates and the recognition of organic products. Customers not only look for quality nowadays, but they are also committed to the protection of the environment. They are concerned about looking for those products that are as natural and as less harmful as possible. It is within the will and possibilities of each one to submit to these regulations, but it has been shown that the effort bears its fruit. ARTOLIO promotes these practices and support the protection of the fields. Therefore, we strongly encourage our growers to adopt such practices.

Finally, it should be noted that presence of ARTOLIO allowed to establish contact between our partners and producers and the different participants of the fair which will benefit our participants in the long run. Among others, aside from the individual producers, organizations specialized in the extra virgin olive oil market attended too, and they got to know the project firsthand.