According to Otilia Romero de Condés, CEO of Pomona Keepers, the company organising the trade fair: “This year’s WOOE has once again proved that there is huge potential for the olive oil sector in international markets; the high quality and wide variety of the olive oils on display, as well as the huge turnout of visitors and buyers from all over the world, have shown this is an indispensable event for promoting and selling olive oil. We reaffirm our commitment to promote this trade fair as a benchmark for the olive oil industry and to contribute to its global growth”.

An event focused on internationalisation and innovation

The trade fair was a key forum for the internationalisation of the olive oil sector, attracting a total of 59 visiting countries. Companies, distributors and experts from all over the world explored new market opportunities and forged strategic alliances at an event that reinforced its fundamental role in olive oil’s global trade.

This year’s WOOE has helped to stress the need to open up and consolidate new strategic markets in Europe, but also in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East, by promoting diversification as a crucial strategy to face potential trade barriers. Romero also highlighted the fair’s role in creating opportunities in emerging markets, thereby helping producers to reduce their dependence on a single commercial destination.

The WOOE has thus consolidated its position as a major ally of the olive industry, stressing the importance of institutional support and cooperation between producing countries to face any possible trade threat.

‘We are a pivotal forum for dealing with the challenges facing the olive sector, advocating open trade and helping producers to prepare for any scenario’.

More than 60 experts at conferences and tasting sessions

The WOOE 2025 programme featured more than 60 speakers taking part in different presentations and tasting sessions, addressing key issues for the future of the sector. The sessions, which ranged from marketing strategies in international markets to tourism’s impact on olive oil-producing areas, aroused great interest among the participants.

Meanwhile, the Olive Oil Bar, one of the most popular areas, gave attendees the chance to taste a selection of more than 150 extra virgin olive oils, thus allowing them to discover the richness and variety of olive oil, which is essential to the Mediterranean diet.

Moreover, the meetings between producers and buyers have led to business agreements that will contribute to strengthening the international positioning of olive oil. 

A promising future for the WOOE

Following this year’s success, the organisers are already working on the next World Olive Oil Exhibition, with the goal of remaining a benchmark for the sector and continuing to increase both the olive oil’s visibility and its expansion in global markets.

La entrada The World Olive Oil Exhibition 2025 has concluded with a strong international presence and a resounding success in terms of participation se publicó primero en World Olive Oil Exhibition.

 SO WHAT IS HAPPENING? An analysis by Juan Vilar

A similar situation has never happened before in the history of the olive oil industry. A bad harvest has led all the actors in the value chain to lose money. On top of this decline, there has been an increase in the price of fertilizers, fuels and energy, as well as a rise in financial rates. This crop year and related circumstances are creating a situation of extreme vulnerability for the members of the olive oil sector chain.

Having help is necessary in situations of weakness so as to be able to face them with guarantees and overcome them. Advocacy, anticipation, readiness and taking action are the ways to succeed in these difficult times. Waiting until the last moment can be devastating.

Harvest prospects for the coming season are no better. We will find an almost non-existent linkage with this season and a similar or even worse harvest. This implies that the supply for the next crop year will be lower than the potential demand. The sole regulatory mechanism for a potential shortage situation is the price. Then prices will continue to rise. This market self-regulation triggers an inevitable decline in consumption so that the latter, via the price, adjusts to the actual supply. Therefore, price hikes will gradually reduce consumption, leading households to a partial shortage caused by the high prices on the shelves.

The change in the current cycle —which will come— will reverse the supply and price situation abruptly, and will have devastating effects on the sector, as production costs will remain high and consumption deteriorated in a scenario of oversupply, whereby prices will drop, also breaking records, but at a downward trend.

This shift in trends will be due to a combination of vectors: climate, surface area and production, with consumption being affected

In this case, marketing, dissemination, actions aimed at promoting your products, attendance at events, trade fairs, etc. are all essential to boost your business and prevent these exceptional situations from undermining your solidity and putting your company in a risky situation.

By attending the WOOE as an exhibitor, you have at your disposal a key networking opportunity to strengthen your position in a potential new market, increase your visibility and enhance your reputation as a leading supplier or buyer.

Considering the tough and challenging year we are facing, the WOOE is now working harder than ever to provide the best business platform for the sector.

We are focusing on what olive oil professionals need here and now, proposing tools tailored to the needs of each and every one of them.

• A greater commitment to bringing in strong international buyers: We are already working with major agencies so that these buyers can meet the needs of each exhibitor.

• The greatest showcase for olive oil. Business is the key, and you have to pay attention to it even when you don’t have any olive oil to sell. That’s why we want to be the primary showcase for you to promote your brand, expand your network of contacts and maintain your position in the market.

• Creating synergies: every year, the WOOE attracts a growing number of influencers, restaurateurs, distributors, gourmet stores and media looking for new approaches and viewpoints. This is the place where new ideas and business opportunities can be found.

• Expanding the possibilities of the olive oil world: olive oil tourism, pairings, new technologies, alternative products… The future of the olive oil industry will also be in the spotlight at WOOE 2024.

• We also aim to help you to have the widest possible dissemination, which is why we make our database available to you, so that, once you are registered, we can share with all our contacts your business information and the messages that you decide to convey.

  In a particularly challenging year for the industry, rely on the tools that work!

 Boost your market presence and find new partnerships to strengthen your business!

 Contact us; we will help you find the best choice for your company!

La entrada What can olive oil mills do to face the current situation of the sector? se publicó primero en World Olive Oil Exhibition.

n a year of great complexity for the olive oil sector, the WOOE has managed to unite the entire sector for two days of frenetic activity at IFEMA MADRID.

With more than 300 companies represented from Spain, Italy, Lebanon, Jordan, Portugal, Tunisia, Turkey, and New Zealand, and more than 4,500 visitors of 45 different nationalities, the WOOE has consolidated itself as the greatest fair for olive oil business, exports, brands, and quality. “Together we make gold” has been the slogan of an edition that has confirmed that the sector grows by joining forces between its different players.

The Spanish Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food and the Environment, Luis Planas, inaugurated the fair yesterday, appealing to the popular nature of olive oil, which has always been a regular feature of all Spanish households, with exceptional quality. For this reason, he insisted on the need to maintain reasonable prices that improve domestic sales and can help international markets grow.

he fair brings together quality oils of very different profiles, a diversity that has been highly appreciated by the professionals from all areas of the sector visiting IFEMA these days: importers, chefs, restaurateurs, hotel purchasing managers, gourmet shops, e-commerce, etc.

High-quality olive oil mills such as Oro Senda Almazara, from the Campo de Montiel PDO, have found in the fair the opportunity they were looking for to promote their products: “We offer organic products of family harvest and of the highest quality, protected by the Campo y Alma seal of quality. We have held meetings with foreign importers and met some very interesting people. For example, María Morales, a former Master Chef contestant and owner of a restaurant was very interested in our oils, and we hope to be able to collaborate with her”.

The WOOE is a unique fair because it brings together producers from different regions. Jordan, Tunisia, Turkey, and Lebanon are some of the countries that have brought their oils to the fair. In the case of Lebanon, the company Organica Sal participated with a stand promoting its oils for the first time abroad. “We have a special variety in the Midwest called Suri and it has created a lot of expectation among visitors to the fair. The most interesting thing for us is the diversity of the professionals attending: buying companies of all sizes, gastro journalists, other producers… We have greatly expanded our network of contacts in the sector,” commented its export manager.

A message shared by all the participants at the fair is the importance of seeing each other again and being able to get together, after the restrictions imposed by the pandemic. As the manager of the Olirrubia olive oil mill emphasised, “the fair is allowing us to see our clients again and it is very important to have physical contact and to be able to be with them“.

At an olive oil fair, there is also a place for other complementary products such as quality vinegars, for example those from Montilla Moriles. Enrique Garrido, managing director of the Montilla Moriles Designation of Origin Regulatory Council, described his decision to come to the fair as follows: “The quality of Andalusian and Montilla vinegars is a guarantee for us to be able to share this fair with the best olive oils, we understand that buyers and importers of olive oil can have a complementary product in our vinegars”.

The WOOE is not only an important business gathering, but also a meeting aimed at knowledge, debate and being able to extract, among the real players in the sector, the keys that will define the next steps. Conferences, round-table discussions, tasting sessions, food and wine pairings, cooking competitions, and other activities took place during these days, all of which were fully booked, which shows just how lively the sector is.

In the coming days we will be communicating some of the conclusions that have been discussed in each talk, but today we make special mention of the one that was held to coincide with the day of the working woman: “The women of EVOO take the floor”. An unprecedented meeting in the sector directed and presented by Pandora Peñafil Peñafiel that managed to bring together some of the most powerful women in the EVOO world: Herminia Millán, manager of QvExtra! Internacional; Ana Martínez, general secretary of Infaoliva; Consoli Molero, manager and head of production at the cooperative Colival; Chania Chagas, taster, coach and owner of Emporio do Azeite (Brazil); Anita Zachou, gastronomic consultant and founder of Mykonos Olive Oil  Tasting (Greece); and María Morales, owner of Esencia by María Morales.

The WOOE is also presided over by a woman, Otilia Romero de Condés, who today wanted to emphasise that this is the sector’s fair and that it includes the entire olive oil business, from olive oil mills and producers to bottling companies, importers and the HoReCa sector.

WOOE 2023 leaves with a good taste in its mouth and a lot of work ahead to study the conclusions that can be drawn from these two days of activity, to continue working for a more united and stronger sector… Because TOGETHER WE MAKE GOLD!

La entrada The WOOE closes its 10th edition consolidated as the greatest international olive oil fair se publicó primero en World Olive Oil Exhibition.

The second prize went to Jesus Carravilla, from the Catering of Goya Theatre and a special recognition for Jose Luis Martinez, chef at Taberna & Media.

Miguel Duran, chef at Madrid’s restaurant “El Reloj de Harry & Sally” has won the first prize of the WOOE Challenge, the 1^st edition of the Competition of ajoblanco with EVOO with a PDO from Andalusia that was held in Madrid, within the framework of the World Olive Oil Exhibition. Sponsored by “Gusto del Sur” (Southern Flavor), the quality and promotion brand for food products from Andalusia, this competition featured the participation of nine chefs who had to make an ajoblanco. The essential requirement was that it had to be prepared using one extra virgin olive oil from one of the following protected designations of origin: Aceite de Lucena, Baena, Poniente de Granada, Priego de Córdoba, Sierra de Segura, Sierra Mágina or the PGI “Aceite de Jaén” or a blend of more than one of those EVOOs.

The “Sphericated Ajoblanco with smoked oyster, old PX pearls, black garlic pearls and sobrassada essence” was the winning dish for this first WOOE Challenge “Ajoblanco”; in addition to incorporating olive oil with the PDO Baena, this culinary creation consisted of a “traditional ajoblanco mounted in olive oil so that the emulsion was perfect, and a jelly for the spherifications. Following that, I have played with smoke for the oyster and the grease of the sobrassada”, acknowledged Miguel Durán, winner of the competition. Alfonso Fernandez, Professor of Andalusia’s Academy of Gastronomy was in charge of awarding the prize worth 1,500 €.

The second prize went to Jesus Carravilla, from “Teatro Goya Catering” who was awarded the prize by Jose Carlos Alvarez, managing director of the Agency for Agricultural and Fisheries Management of Andalusia. Amos Garcia Hueso, secretary of the Agency for Agricultural and Fisheries Management of Andalusia was in charge of giving the special recognition to Jose Luis Martinez, chef at Taberna & Media.

“

This first edition of WOOE Challenge (Ajoblanco) was presented by Miguel Ayuso, director of “Directo al paladar”; and the jury was composed of: Manu Urbano, chef at La Malaje; Paloma Colas, the influencer responsible for “SOS Nada en la Nevera” and Isabela Muñoz, food journalist for Telva magazine; and Alfonso Fernandez, Professor at Andalusia’s Academy of Gastronomy.

In this first Competition of Ajoblanco, in addition to awarded restaurants, the following restaurants participated: El Molino de la Ferrería (Segovia), Moments Bar (Alicante), Epílogo (Tomelloso), Casa Pepe Judería (Cordova), Lagasca Chef (Madrid), and Restaurant Gabriela (Madrid).

La entrada Miguel Duran, chef at El Reloj de Harry & Sally: winner of the WOOE Challenge for “Ajoblanco” made with EVOOs from the PDOs from Andalusia se publicó primero en World Olive Oil Exhibition.

The second prize went to Jose Luis Camacho of restaurant Zascandil (Gijon) and a special recognition for Fidel Meza, chef at Fijo.

Beltrán Alonso, chef at Madrid’s restaurant Casa Mories, has won the first prize of the 2^nd WOOE Challenge, the Competition of Salads with EVOO from Castile-La Mancha, which was held in Madrid, within the framework of the World Olive Oil Exhibition. Sponsored by “Campo y Alma” (Land & Soul), the quality and warranty brand for products with a protected designation of origin and/or a protected geographic indication from Castile-La Mancha; this competition involved the participation of ten chefs who had to make a salad. The essential requirement was that the salad had to be prepared using one extra virgin olive oil from one of the protected designations of origin of Castile-La Mancha (Aceites de la Alcarria, Campo de Calatrava, Campo de Montiel and Montes de Toledo and Manchego cheese with a PDO) or a blend of more than one of those EVOOs.

“I had made a very simple salad with a base of Manchego cheese foam, seasoned tomato and smoked sardine”, remarked Chef Beltrán Alonso. “For the elaboration, I have selected an olive oil from the cornicabra variety from the PDO Montes de Toledo, simply because I’m from there and that’s my beloved homeland”, concluded the award-winning chef who won the competition. Elena Escobar, Director-General for Food at Castile-La Mancha’s government, was in charge of giving the prize of 1,500 €.

The second prize went to Jose Luis Camacho, from restaurant Zascandil (Gijon), who was awarded the prize by Otilia Romero de Condes, CEO of the WOOE. Miguel Angel Leon, regional director of Globalcaja was in charge of giving the special recognition to Fidel Meza, chef at the restaurant Fijo.

The 2^nd WOOE Challenge was presented by Concha Crespo, food journalist; and the jury was made up of: Elena Escobar, Director-General for Food at Castile-La Mancha’s government; Enrique Escobar, chef at the restaurant El Doncel (Guadalajara); Alicia Rivas, influencer responsible for “La Recomendadora”; and Patricia Magaña, writer for Origen magazine; and Álvaro Madrid, chef at La Soga (Ciudad Real).

For this 2^nd Competition of Salads, as well as the awarded restaurants, the following restaurants participated: Cocina34, Portal Bajo, Restaurant Alilian, Amore Gastrobar, Quinta Cocina, El Pedrusco de Aldealcorvo and Piscomar.

La entrada Beltran Alonso, chef at Casa Mories: winner of the WOOE Challenge (Salad competition) se publicó primero en World Olive Oil Exhibition.

The IOC’s Executive Director, Abdellatif Ghedira, was in charge of inaugurating the fair, accompanied by Otilia Romero de Condes, CEO of Pomona Keepers, and José Luis Murcia, the WOOE’s Executive Director.

Health, trade, consumption, market trends, and certifications were some of the issues addressed during the fair, which hosted over 4,000 visitors coming from 82 different countries (of which 35 were purchasing countries).

After two years absent due to the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, the World Olive Oil Exhibition has made it clear that this is the key trade fair for the olive oil industry on a global scale. During a period of two days (March 8^th and 9^th), Pavilion 1 at IFEMA MADRID turned into the meeting point for all who participate in the olive oil sector. More than 4,000 visitors, coming from 82 different countries, of which 35 were purchasing countries, reunited at the world’s sole event exclusively devoted to liquid gold.

Abdellatif Ghedira, Executive Director of the International Olive Council, was once again in charge of inaugurating the WOOE, accompanied by Otilia Romero de Condes, CEO of Pomona Keepers, and José Luis Murcia, WOOE’s Executive Director. ln addition to numerous authorities from Castile-La Mancha, Andalusia and Madrid regional governments, we would also like to highlight the presence of: Malek Twal, Ambassador of the Arab League; Kifaya Khamis Miyah Al-Raisi, Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman; Said Moussi, Ambassador of Algeria; and diplomats from the embassies of Iraq, Sudan, Tunisia, Qatar, Jordan, Yemen, Morocco and Libya. All these countries —alongside Greece and Italy, who also participated in the fair— are the main markets involved in olive oil trade; therefore, confirming that this year, in the aftermath of the pandemic, the WOOE is once again the foremost international event for the olive oil sector.

For the ninth consecutive year, “the World Olive Oil Exhibition has once again proven that this is a fair entirely dedicated to the world of olive oil. This year more than ever and after two years without being able to gather, we have proven that all our efforts have been worthwhile, since the fair has exceeded all expectations”, remarked Otilia Romero de Condes. Not surprisingly, once again, this fair brought together producers and consumers while managing to support companies related to EVOO to consolidate their businesses; simultaneously, all those olive oil lovers had the opportunity to explore, discover and live experiences around this culinary jewel of our gastronomy.

As part of the keynote speeches that took place, the Study on the beneficial effects of olive oils presented by the Spanish Olive Oil Inter-professional Association is to be highlighted. This keynote lecture was conducted by Pedro Barato, President of the Olive Oil Inter-professional Association, and Enrique Ruiz Escudero, Minister of Health of Madrid’s regional government. “Healthiness is new consumers’ main reason for buying and the pandemic has done nothing but to increase the consumers’ willingness to eat in a healthier way”, affirmed Pedro Barato at the presentation.

The book Analysis of Olive Oil Consumption in Purchasing Countries by Juan Vilar, author, was presented on the first day of the fair; the talk on “INRA’s main achievements in olive grove development in Morocco” run by Sara Oulbi, from the National Institute for Agricultural Research in Meknes (Morocco), also took place on that same day. This first-day session ended with a round table discussion on innovation and resource optimization in olive oil.

On Wednesday 9^th, we opened with a keynote speech on “New key points regarding the US olive oil industry” by Joseph Profaci, Executive Director of the North American Olive Oil Association, and continued with a presentation of olive oils with a PGI from Jaen. Furthermore, two round table discussions took place: one focused on “The potential of being awarded certificates within the olive oil sector”, and the other on olive oil distribution, marketing, and consumption patterns. This two-day Conference came to an end with the lecture headed by Juan Vilar under the title “Worldwide Production Forecasts”.

The Tasting Room was once again one of the fair’s most frequented spots, in which several tasting sessions were held: a tasting of Picual olive oils recognized with the seal of “Jaén Selección”, conducted by Anunciación Carpio; a tasting session with olive oils from the province of Toledo; a tasting of Andalusian olive oils paired with creations by the chef Manu Urbano; a tasting session with the top-5 single-varietal EVOOs from the Mediterranean, and a historical olive oil-tasting with three EVOOs from the Mediterranean, both conducted by José María Penco; among others.

Manu Urbano, chef at La Malaje was responsible for carrying out one of this year’s novelties at the WOOE’s: a food pairing with a tasting of Andalusian olive oils with a Designation of Origin, which was conducted by Francisca García, Head of the Tasting Panel of the PDO “Priego de Córdoba”.

Culinary demonstrations, competitions, awards…

Once again, the WOOE Challenge (A salad competition) took place; this competition was sponsored by “Campo y Alma”, the quality and warranty brand certification for products from Castile-La Mancha. The winner of the WOOE Salad Challenge was Beltrán Alonso, chef at Casa Mories. Given last year’s success of this competition, on this occasion, a new competition, called the WOOE “Ajoblanco” Challenge, was launched with the collaboration of “Gusto del Sur” and the Andalusian regional government; and the winner was Miguel Durán, chef at the restaurant El Reloj de Harry & Sally.

As always, the Gourmet Area offered the culinary demonstration by Kike Piñeiro, chef at A Horta do Obradoiro, who was also in charge of presenting a gastronomic creation (Roots from land and sea), elaborated using the olive oils awarded by “Alimentos de España”.

The 9^th WOOE concluded with the award ceremony for the Olive Oil Delicatessen Awards recognizing companies that include olive oil in their products. The winners of the 2020 Olive Oil Delicatessen Awards also received their prizes given the fact that the event couldn´t be held since then.

La entrada More than 4,000 visitors from 82 countries have confirmed the success of the WOOE se publicó primero en World Olive Oil Exhibition.

The EVOOs that have been awarded by “Alimentos de España” will be the key ingredients in the culinary demonstration which will take place in the Tasting room on Tuesday the 8^th at 2 pm. Moreover, as on previous occasions, chef Piñeiro together with his team will prepare a menu for the Gourmet Area, to be enjoyed via four sessions per day and has been created with the caption: “Taste the magic of EVOO”

In addition to being the world’s meeting point for the entire olive oil sector, the WOOE is aimed at promoting and not only making the diverse types of olive oil known but also how they should be used. To this effect, the WOOE has organized multiple activities in order to bring the liquid gold closer to each and every attendee so that they can taste and see the wide variety of applications that olive oil has across cuisine.

Throughout two days and with four daily sessions, Kike Piñeiro, chef and co-owner of A Horta d’Obradoiro (Santiago de Compostela, Spain) together with his partner Eloy Cancela, will provide a culinary demonstration at the Gourmet Area. Under the caption “Taste the magic of EVOO”, the Galician chef has prepared a culinary proposal in which Extra Virgin Olive Oil is incorporated in each dish in a surprising way. Designed for take away, the dishes to taste are the following: Pulled Pork Brioche, Tuna & Quinoa Poke Bowl, EVOO with Biscuits, Baked Apple, Yogurt and EVOO, Spirulina Smoothie with EVOO, Citrus fruits with EVOO, and EVOO’s Chocolate and Fudge.

Furthermore, Kike Piñeiro will also be in charge of the culinary demonstration that will take place on Tuesday 8^th (at 2 pm) at the Tasting Room using the olive oils awarded by the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. Each one of the categories of EVOO awarded in the “Alimentos de España” competition will be integrated in a mouthful, seeking the utmost blend with the dish, according to each EVOO’s bitterness, spiciness and fruitiness.

Under the caption “Roots from land and sea”, chef Kike Piñeiro has elaborated a menu consisting of Caramelized Leek with Almond Praline, Sea Urchin with Coconut and Codium Seaweed Caviar, and Beans from Lourenzá with “Celtic Rooster” in EVOO. For the first dish, the chef has chosen the extra virgin olive oil that won the category “Sweet Green Fruity”; the sea urchin dish has been made using the winner of the category “Ripe Fruity”; and the beans with rooster have incorporated the EVOO which won the “Bitter Green Fruity” category. The 9^th WOOE is held in parallel with HIP, the fair devoted to restaurants, hotels and catering; all these sectors are beginning to rise up again following the interruption of the pandemic and will also have their place at IFEMA. The WOOE is encouraged by the company Pomona Keepers and by IFEMA Madrid with Globalcaja as its main sponsor.

La entrada The magic of EVOO to your heart’s content se publicó primero en World Olive Oil Exhibition.

The World Olive Oil Exhibition has already revealed the winners of the 4^th Olive Oil Delicatessen Awards; these awards aim at recognizing the quality of the products that use olive oil as an ingredient. The winners have been selected from among 50 samples.

The ultimate decision was reached by the jury: Juan Vilar, the WOOE’s strategic consultant; Otilia Romero de Condes, CEO of Pomona Keepers; José Luis Murcia; executive director of the WOOE; Monji Msallen and Jorge Pereira, international consultants on olive growing; and Clara Parejas, export manager of Oleícola Jaén Group.

All products —including those awarded and those which participated in the competition— will be displayed throughout the World Olive Oil Exhibition, which will be held on the coming 8^th and 9^th of March at Pavilion 1 in IFEMA MADRID. The awarded products of the 2020 edition, which couldn’t take place due to pandemic, will also be exhibited.

2022 Categories and winners

Olive oil as the main ingredient

The first prize went to the “Seasoning of dry tomato and basil” by Suerte de Ariza, a gourmet seasoning product, in which EVOO has been incorporated to achieve freshness and an aroma of its own. The second prize went to “Olive oil Jelly” by Puente Sierra; and a special recognition for “Lemon Seasoning” by Suerte de Ariza.

Olive oil as an improving ingredient

The first prize was a tie between Santo Reino and Mykes Gourmet: Santo Reino won with their biodegradable can of organic potato chips with tomato and black garlic made with organic EVOO; and Mykes Gourmet with their cream of sheep’s cheese with Iberian jam, to which extra virgin olive oil is added to give smoothness.

The second prize was a tie between La Chinata and Visconti: La Chinata for their cherry-flavored popcorn with EVOO; and Visconti won thanks to their melting cacao spread with extra virgin olive oil. Special recognitions were to the pistachio shortbreads made by La Chinata and also to Belluga Gourmet for their vegan sobrassada with olives.

Olive oil as a preservative ingredient

First prize went to La Chinata with their Cantabrian anchovies in EVOO. The runner-up was a cheese covered in EVOO and wheat bran elaborated by Aceite Periana. Special recognition for the sheep cheese in EVOO with black truffle made by Mykes Gourmet.

Cosmetics or non-edible products including the use of olive oil

The first prize went to the respiratory liquid oil by Montes Norte Group; a product with antibacterial, expectorant and cough-suppressant proprieties. The second prize was a draw between Top Dog for its Dry Cleaning, a dry shampoo for dogs, and La Chinata for its face and eyes’ cleanser. Special recognition was given to DLR Cosmetics for its facial cream and to Notaliv for its hand-sanitizer with EVOO.

La entrada The winners of WOOE’s 4th Olive Oil Delicatessen Awards se publicó primero en World Olive Oil Exhibition.

Madrid, 8^th of February 2022. The World Olive Oil Exhibition is already warming up its engines. Following two years without taking place due to restrictions imposed by the pandemic, this year, the biggest olive oil monographic fair will be held. During the 8^th and 9^th of March, IFEMA’s Pavilion 1 will turn into the meeting point for producing countries, consumers and every company related to EVOO, with clear goals: consolidating the olive oil trade and opening up new markets. More than 47 participating countries, more than 1,000 companies and almost 4,000 visitors were reunited during the last World Olive Oil Exhibition; such numbers have turned the WOOE into the key international trade fair for everyone working in the olive oil industry.

On the occasion of the presentation of the World Olive Oil Exhibition, a roundtable discussion was organized under the heading “The Quality Standard and the possibility of a self-monitoring system for the olive oil-making sector”. José Miguel Herrero Velasco, Director-General for the Food Industry from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food; Ignacio Silva, President of Deoleo; Antonio Luque, President of DCOOP, Joaquim Martins, CEO of IFFCO Iberia and BU Olive Oil; and Iñaki Benito, Managing director of Olive-growing Community Heritage, were in charge of tackling this issue. At the event, Otilia Romero de Condés, CEO of Pomona Keeper and María José Sánchez, Director de Food Fairs of IFEMA Madrid, also participated as representatives of the WOOE’s co-organizing companies.

As Juan Vilar noted, the Quality Standard “is an initiative conceived by the Ministry of Agriculture that gathers all the aspects enabling every element that takes part in the value chain to interact adequately and with the guarantee that what the user and/or consumer receives corresponds to the raw material or the product elaborated in origin and is then manufactured in the industry’s chain”. The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has been in charge of laying out the appropriate fields so that such Quality Standard can be developed. In the words of José Miguel Herrero Velasco “we are witnessing a historical moment in which we can ensure a bright future for the Spanish olive oil industry.”

As part of the Quality Standard, this is the first time that “olive oil” has been named including the term “olive”, since until now it shared a category with other sorts of vegetable oils. In the words of the Director-General for the Food Industry of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, one of the most significant aspects of the said regulation is traceability and “when we talk about traceability, we talk about both internal traceability and traceability of movements of products, so that any olive oil that is moving within our country has to be registered and included in a system (REMOA), which allows us to provide a guarantee and transparency system, being the Autonomous Communities (Spanish regions) —in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food— in charge of ensuring that such Law is fully complied with.” In this sense, Ignacio Silva, President of Deoleo, added: “We need to know what happens in the value chain —since the olive is on the tree until the olive oil gets to the consumer. The responsibility of companies requires a constant and active search in order to provide greater transparency and to meet the consumers’ needs; however, this sector has often paid more attention to the raw material, with its back to consumers; when what it’s essential is that the consumer buys and appreciates our product”.

Objective: to consolidate the image and reputation of Spanish olive oil globally

Beyond the Quality Standard implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, José Miguel Herrero considered vitally important the fact that it was the sector itself that “took a step forward by raising the bar proposing an even more demanding auto-regulation system than the aforementioned Standard, and that will give foreign buyers confidence, because it will differentiate Spanish olive oils abroad”. “This means that every company from the olive-growing sector will have access to the Administration 365 days per year”, added Antonio Luque, President of DCOOP.

Joaquim Martins deemed it vital that the sector “is supporting the regulations gradually enforced by the government, in a way that the sector is also involved in the ultimate goal, this is the first step in order to consolidate the image of olive oil worldwide”. In fact, Iñaki Benito declared that “following production records and the tariffs’ crisis in the United States, now was the right time for adopting this Standard; a regulation that is going to ensure a stronger system that could even be exported to other countries”. Despite still not being finalized, the possibility that the aforementioned certification system “could have included a specific seal” is envisaged, as stated by the Managing director of the Olive-growing Community Heritage.

Lastly, José Miguel Herrero also wanted to refer to the Tasting Panel: “it was a smokescreen for not talking about other issues concerning the sector. Therefore, when we listened to the industry, the distributors and even the consumers, we sought for greater legal certainty; now we no longer have excuses to not engage with a higher quality and, hence, this standard was created.” To which Ignacio Silva remarked: “the Tasting Panel has existed for over twenty years and, although it creates certain uncertainty, if you want to change it, something better has to be offered, something that strengthens it. The Law on Quality of Olive oil and the self-regulation system —which we have just implemented— are not perfect now, but they will be over time”.

La entrada The quality standards and the self-monitoring system in the olive oil sector: scrutinized se publicó primero en World Olive Oil Exhibition.

 The World Olive Oil Exhibition (WOOE) summons professional chefs to elaborate the best salad using extra virgin olive oils from Castile-La Mancha at this 2^nd WOOE Challenge. Sponsored by Campo y Alma, the seal of guarantee for products with a protected designation of origin or with a geographic indication from Castile-La Mancha, the competition will be held on Wednesday 9^th of March at 12:30 at IFEMA in Madrid; the cash prize for the winner will be of 1,500 euros and the two runners-up will get a diploma.

The 10 participants —elected by order of registration— will elaborate their dish with the ingredients of their choice and which they will bring to the competition themselves. The WOOE organizers will provide the EVOOs, as well as vinegar, salt and pepper, in addition to tableware for plating.

Competitors will have at their disposal extra virgin olive oils from the following protected designations of origin: Aceites de la Alcarria, Campo de Calatrava, Campo de Montiel and Montes de Toledo, alongside Manchego cheese with a PDO. The olive oils can be used as participants deem appropriate, and they can be both from one single origin or they can be a blend of two or more different EVOOs. The vinegars will also come from Castile-La Mancha.

The jury will be composed of renowned cuisine professionals and culinary journalists, as well as of a representative from the WOOE and another from the Department of Agriculture from Castile-La Mancha’s region.

La entrada Campo y Alma sponsors the 2nd Competition of Salads made with EVOO from Castile-La Mancha se publicó primero en World Olive Oil Exhibition.