The World Olive Oil Exhibition will be held on the 21st and 22nd of March 2018 at Madrid’s IFEMA The US companies will be the key players of the 2018 World Olive Oil Exhibition
David Neuman is a food industry veteran with over 30 years’ experience, as well as a certified second-level professional extra-virgin olive oil taster by the ONAOO (Organizzazione Nazionale Assaggiatori Olio di Oliva). Since 2015, David has also been the CEO of Gaea North America, with the support of Aris and Gaea Greece.
David Neuman will attend the 7th World Olive Oil Exhibition as keynote speaker and guest of honor.
Today, David Neuman embraces the personal mission of increasing the consumer’s understanding and education of high-quality extra-virgin olive oil. He has passed his knowledge on to over 1000 industry professionals and consumers with his signature “Olive Oil 101” training class.
The WOOE offers its followers an exclusive interview with Dave Neuman about the keys and future trends of the olive oil sector in the US.
– Which are the main challenges facing the future development of the olive oil market in your country?
There are a few challenges that potentially hurt the sales of extra virgin grade olive oil in the USA as I see it;
1. Consumer Awareness; this isn’t a food which is a major crop of ours, so we aren’t as familiar with it as we are say, potatoes and corn. Consumers still use less than 1 liter per year per person which is among the lowest per capita in the world.
2. Trade and consumer buyers need to learn and utilize the basics of determining what is and is not extra virgin grade olive oil; just like they know how to judge fresh fish or meat. Basic understanding of smell and taste must become part of our food education.
3. The Government must do more to halt the sale of improperly and illegally mislabeled olive oil, both domestic but mostly imported.
4. More shelf space must be allocated at retail to make room for better quality, higher priced varieties of olive oils as the wine industry has achieved over time.
– Could you comment on the local olive oil production in the US?
Relatively small, this year projected at less than 10,000 MT. This is not even 1% of our usage.
I am distressed to see Californian based brands blending in now imported olive oil because their production isn’t sufficient to meet demand. This can be perceived as a "bait and switch" method which consumers should be wary of.
Imported Olive Oil is here to stay but we need to ensure only legitimate products make it into the USA or Americans will demand even more US produced olive oil.
– Which markets are currently showing the most promise for olive oil imports in the USA?
Traditional grocery sales are down on olive oil. This is partly due to a continued obsession of trade buyers to rely on price not quality or truth in labeling. Consumers are getting savvier and are turning elsewhere.
Specialty retailers have more opportunities than ever to capture that curious olive oil shopper.
But I see two fast moving markets Costco and ecommerce and the new horizons for getting great imported olive oil to the demanding consumer at better prices and less hassles.
– This is the first time you will visit WOOE, what do you expect to find in this Spanish fair?
Spain being the largest producer of olive oil, but a great producer of extra virgin grade, I hope to hear from more producers seeking to capitalize on the highest grade available. The US needs more good single county olive oils to replace the declining sales of Italian (100%) oils which are slowly becoming med blends or of origin of other countries other than Italy.
At Gaea, we see the growth of our 100% Greek olive oils. Spain produces some remarkable varietals such as good Piquals, Hojiblanca and other unique cultivars lesserknown perhaps. Spanish producers need to step up and take the US market seriously and be prepared for a long wait but a big payoff in the long run.
ABOUT GAEA
GAEA was founded in 1995 upon the realization that Greek agricultural food products despite their inherent high quality and good taste, were absent from the international markets.
Gaea aims to be the leader in the category of Mediterranean Greek cuisine in the international fine foods arena, synonymous for quality, tradition, authenticity and innovative Greek specialty foods.
Gaea Aims:
• To sell the highest quality natural and organic products available.
• To satisfy our customers with wonderful, healthy products at an affordable price
• To support our farmers, team members and partners
• To build & support our community and environment
• To create sustainable, profitable products
• To promote education & consumer wellness
• To innovate in pursuit of excellence
WORLD OLIVE OIL EXHIBITION 2018
With a very large attendance of international operators during the last fair, the WOOE provides a unique occasion for producers and olive oil professionals. Within a single space and during just two days, this trade fair provides an opportunity to open up new markets and complete some of the most important transactions of the year for numerous oil mills, cooperatives and companies of the sector.
Perceived as a fundamental pillar of the sector, the WOOE will once again become the main forum for debate and analysis for the sector, with a vast program of conferences, tasting sessions and masterclasses that are even better than the previous ones.
Approximately 200 olive oil companies reunited during the last WOOE with the industry’s purchasers, distributors and businessmen of more than 30 different nationalities (among them: Dubai, Japan, China, United Kingdom, Italy or USA). These figures are expected to exceed during the following World Olive Oil Exhibition, the sole monographic olive oil meeting which exists at the moment.
![logo-wooe[2]](https://oliveoilexhibition.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/logo-wooe2.png "logo-wooe[2]"){kind=logo}
