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Category: Conferences & Classes

Scroll down below the article introductions to find lists of Selected Future Events and Selected Past Events, with links to more information about each one.

Please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have a conference, exposition, meeting, class, or seminar to announce that meets the following criteria:

  • takes place in or includes English
  • addresses an international audience 
  • features extra virgin olive oil and/or the Mediterranean diet

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Category: Conferences & Classes
Katerina Bougatsou next to Stalia olive oil bottles at the Food Expo

At the first face-to-face Food Expo in Athens since 2019, company representatives confronted an unusual situation. Mingling in crowds larger than many had seen in the two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, food industry professionals were glad to present new products, initiatives, and innovations, but concerned about the effects of new and ongoing challenges.

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Category: Conferences & Classes
Mr. Alexandros Georgiadis presenting an award to Dr. Antonia Trichopoulou

The Greek olive sector has been combining tradition with innovation for years. Education on the latest developments has increased alongside investments in cutting-edge technology. This progress was clear at the 2nd International Olive Center Conference on the “Olive Sector: Pursuing Innovation, Exploring Trends” at Perrotis College in Thessaloniki, Greece.

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Category: Conferences & Classes
A photo outside the IOC headquarters, the IOC logo, and text about the seminar topic and date

The International Olive Council (IOC) welcomes everyone interested in olive oil to an online seminar focused on The Future of the Olive Oil Sector. This videoconference will take place on November 26, 2020, the first anniversary of the creation of World Olive Day by UNESCO, with simultaneous interpretation into Arabic, English, French, Italian, and Spanish.

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An agronomist talking to a group next to an olive grove near Delphi

In Delphi, the ancient Greeks’ center of the world, more than 100 experts, professionals, and enthusiasts from seven countries gathered at the 2nd International Yale Symposium on Olive Oil and Health to discuss a liquid gold and a solid treasure that have been central to Greek civilization since the time of the Delphic oracle: olive oil and olives. 

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Category: Conferences & Classes
a monumental olive tree in a nicely landscaped area, with the sunset behind it

The 2nd International Yale Symposium on Olive Oil and Health will take place at the European Cultural Center of Delphi, Greece, December 1-4, 2019. Olive oil experts, scientists, nutritionists, marketers, farmers, entrepreneurs, international dignitaries, and chefs from Greece, Italy, Spain, USA, UK, Japan, and Brazil will present the latest developments.

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Category: Conferences & Classes
several blue olive oil tasting glasses next to each other

From November 4 to 8, 2019, the Olive Oil Academy is offering an olive oil sommelier course at Pienza Val d’Orcia, Siena, in Tuscany, Italy. This is a course for food lovers, gourmets, food enthusiasts, and professionals who want to deepen their knowledge of the whole production and commercial process of olive oil “from the earth to the plate.”

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Participants and leaders at the olive oil tasting seminar in Rethymno

What do you need to know about extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)? That depends. Most people shopping for an EVOO to use at home can taste the oil to see if they like it, consider its best-buy date, classification, and origin, then choose a dark glass bottle or tin they’ll use within 3 months. But professionals who work with EVOOs can benefit from knowing more.

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Category: Conferences & Classes
A view of the Greece section of SIAL Paris, looking down the aisle, with booths on either side

For five days last month, 90 Greek companies exhibited their olive oil at what may be the world's largest food exhibition, SIAL Paris. Among 7,200 exhibitors, Greek extra virgin olive oils attracted the attention of many of the 310,000 professionals attending the exhibition. Greek olive oil company representatives discussed the expo with Greek Liquid Gold.

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the Pellas Nature stand at the Food Expo in 2017, with Ioanna Diamanti and many small and medium sized bottles of infused olive oil

The annual Food Expo in Athens gathers hundreds of superb Greek extra virgin olive oils (and many other products) under one roof. It is a convenient place for food and beverage businesspeople to taste products and meet with company representatives. It also offers an opportunity to catch up on stories and news from olive oil companies from all over Greece.

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Irini Kokolaki and her classmates in an olive mill or museum in Jaen, Spain

Last September, Irini Kokolaki studied Spanish at the University of Jaen for five hours a day. She learned a new language so she could attend a three-month course for certification as an “expert in virgin olive oil tasting,” the world’s only expert level university course focused on sensory analysis that is supported by the International Olive Council.

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Category: Conferences & Classes
Eleftheria Germanaki speaking at the seminar

At a recent seminar in Rethymno, Crete, olive oil tasting panel supervisor and international judge Eleftheria Germanaki discussed Greek successes in olive oil competitions. Agronomist and scientific consultant Ioannis Metzidakis emphasized the importance of accurate knowledge. And award winning Cretan olive oil producers considered their accomplishments.

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Category: Conferences & Classes
building in Spain, trees, blue sky

In the shadow of a Medieval monastery outside of Barcelona (Món Sant Benet, Catalonia, Spain), a world class team of olive oil experts will convene March 19–23, 2018 to teach an olive oil evaluation course, Tools for the Trade: Tasting, Testing and Understanding Olive Oil.

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Category: Conferences & Classes
Terra Creta olive oil table at the Gourmet Exhibition, with visitors trying samples of olive oil

The 2nd Gourmet Olive and Delicacies Exhibition in Thessaloniki, Greece on May 5, 6 and 7 confirmed for the second consecutive year that Gourmet is an exclusive exhibition. Over three hundred fine foods and natural personal care products from seventy two artisan Greek producers were showcased in a three-day festive Gourmet exhibition.

Selected Future Events

  • Summer Fancy Food Show 2022

    June 12-14, 2022, New York City, USA. According to its website, "The Specialty Food Association’s 2022 Summer Fancy Food Show is the largest U.S. show devoted exclusively to specialty foods and beverages."

  • Events at the UC Davis Olive Center

    These include an Introduction to Sensory Evaluation of Olive Oil in Davis, California, June 24-25, and a free webinar on modern acreage for table olives on June 23. See the UC Davis site for updates and new events.

  • Olive Oil (7-week online university course)

    Starting June 27, 2022, online and asynchronous from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. According to the linked site: "In this online course you will learn how to classify olive oil according to its quality characteristics and how to produce high quality olive oil. You will also learn how olive oil has been a source of inspiration and how several artists used it in order to create works of art from ancient times till today. The content of this course presents the varieties and characteristics of olives and the various types of olive oil that are destined to be consumed and used in recipes based on Mediterranean diet. Last but not least, this course aims to define how important olive oil is, how it can benefit our daily diet and additionally how it can contribute to conserve a healthy lifestyle."

  • BIOFACH

    July 26 - 29, 2022, Nürnberg, Germany, and online. According to its website, BIOFACH is the "World´s Leading Trade Fair for Organic Food."

  • SIAL Paris

    October 15-19, 2022, Paris, France. "The world's largest food innovation exhibition," according to their website, for importers, buyers, and retail and food processing professionals.

  • Nordic Organic Food Fair 2022

    November 16-17, MalmöMässan, Sweden. "Scandinavia's biggest natural & organic trade event," according to its website.

  • The Greek Fine Food Exhibition Expotrof

    February 3-5, 2023, Peania, between Athens, Greece, and the airport. According to its website, "EXPOTROF is the largest effort to promote quality Greek products; it is aimed at both professionals in the premium food and beverage industry and Greek gastronomy as well as fine food lovers."

  • Food Expo Greece Food and Beverage Trade Show

    March 18-20, 2023, at the Metropolitan Expo exhibition center near the airport that serves Athens, Greece. According to its website, the Food Expo is "the top business forum for the F&B sector in the Region of S.E. Europe."

  • Mercacei's Agenda of Events

    The well-known Spanish publication Mercacei publishes lists of events related to olive oil each month. English is one of many languages that can be selected at the top of Mercacei's page.

Selected Past Events