Featured Attendees

Our students change the world.


Read about them in Olive Oil Times.

Sommelier Leads Croatian Brand to 8 Wins at World Competition

Karmino Beletić attended the sommelier program in London before achieving astounding success at the 2021 NYIOOC as the winningest Croatian producer..

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Olive Oil Sommelier Unites Quality Producers in Tuscany

Entimio founder, Daniel Santini, is bringing together a group of Chianti's top olive oil producers under a single brand.

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Bringing Olive Oil Culture to Bulgaria

How an olive oil hobbyist turned certified sommelier is parlaying a passion into a career in education and beyond.

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New Olive Oil Consumer's Guide in Holland

Wilma van Grinsven-Padberg wants to make consumers as enthusiastic about olive oil as she is.

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Global Gardens Founder Sees Olive Tree as Keystone of California Permaculture

Long-time producer and certified sommelier Theo Stephan looks to bring her love for olive oil and the environment full circle.

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Revolution, Hope and Tunisian Olive Oil

Raouf Ellouze and Karim Fitouri were drawn back to Tunisia at times of political upheaval and change. Now, they want to help their country become known for world-class olive oil.

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A New Generation Leads Laconiko to Excellence

The Pierrakos family has lifted a farm in Greece from a workaday livelihood to an inspired enterprise that produces award-winning oils infused with their vision, passion and purpose.

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For Spain's 'La Olivilla,' Winning Top Award, Restoring Nature Go Hand in Hand

Five years ago, neighboring farmers in Sierra de Cazorla decided to work together and produce high-quality olive oil with respect for the environment. Last month, their Dehesa de la Sabina earned the industry's top award.

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Restaurant, Wine Retailer Team Up to Pair Wines, Olive Oils and Foods

An olive oil sommelier is sharing his passion through a series of events in Olympia, Washington.

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At Rastrello, Quality Promotes the Beauty of Umbria

After her second Gold Award at the NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition, Christiane Wassmann is setting out to apply her olive oil knowledge to a new hotel concept.

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Sommelier Launches Yale University Olive Center

Tassos Kyriakides said he came up with the idea for the center after completing the Olive Oil Sommelier Certification Program produced by the Olive Oil Times Education Lab.

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Applying Olive Oil Expertise to Frozen Foods

Angela Rosenquist said she will use her newly acquired knowledge to run pairing courses for her company’s frozen meals with different types of extra virgin olive oils.

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These are just some of the ways Education Lab program attendees achieve great things. How will you change the world?