An exclusive interview with Ana Isabel Hernández, imports manager of the American company Tama Corporation

The World Olive Oil Exhibition will be held on the coming 29th and 30th of March at Madrid’s IFEMA. The US companies will be key players of the 2017 World Olive Oil Exhibition

“We are a company devoted to the commercialization of European gourmet products. We are located in the city of Miami and we belong to the PAISA business group, with nearly 60 years of transactions in Venezuela”.

Which are the main challenges facing the future development of the olive oil market in your country ?

“In our case, I have to carry out a market analysis split in two parts. Within the Anglo-Saxon market, the biggest challenge for my company, which only commercializes Spanish products, is to compete with Italian olive oil, which was the first olive oil to enter the US market and therefore is the one that has achieved more recognition. In the Hispanic market, currently, the most worrying are the mixtures with soya, canola or sunflower oils, because when the olive oil prices increase, the mixtures do better. For us –and those– who purchase bottled olive oil, this can be applied to both markets, we are affected by the olive oil that is purchased in bulk and is packaged here; because the country of origin is specified on the label, instead of the olive variety that is used. And, that is why it is increasingly common to see that an olive oil is made with olive oil from Greece, Spain, Italy or Tunisia for example”.7

 

Could you comment on the local olive oil production in USA ?

“California is the only state where olive oil is produced, but this production does not significantly affect the imported olive oil”.

Which markets are currently showing the most promise for olive oil imports in the USA?

“Both markets are promising, but the Hispanic market is more competitive in conventional olive oils and mixtures, and the Anglo-Saxon market in gourmet olive oils”.

This is the first time you will visit WOOE, what do you expect to find in this Spanish fair?

“I hope to gain more knowledge about olive oil and to find suppliers that meet the demands of my market”.

 

 

WORLD OLIVE OIL EXHIBITION 2017

The World Olive Oil Exhibition which will be held on the coming 29^th and 30^th March 2017 at Madrid’s IFEMA, offers the best opportunity to stimulate an increasingly global market. This trade fair is mainly geared towards producing cooperatives and olive mills that seek to open new markets and exportation possibilities. For the 2017 fair, the WOOE is committed to gathering, in Madrid, the major international companies, guaranteeing an important presence of importers from the United States, the Middle East, Italy and Central Europe. Taking into account the active focus on olive oil by several emerging countries, an international event such as this trade fair is also an opportunity for the packaging sector to position itself in those emerging markets.