Within the ARTOLIO team, there is a professional group of agronomists, in charge of ensuring the quality of the product of the farmers who make up the project. Among these personalities we also find organizations and institutes such as the Volcani Institute of Israel or Department of Agriculture of Cyprus (DOA).

Dimitra Tofari, ARTOLIO member of the organoleptic assessment panel of Cyprus in the district of Larnaca, is in charge of consulting the farmers about the proper agricultural practices such as irrigation, fertilization, pruning, pests' control and proper harvesting procedures to succeed high yield and procure high-quality extra virgin olive oil. She also assures that these methods are sustainable, respectful and mindful of the local environment of Cyprus. Additionally, she works with millers to ensure the production and quality of extra virgin olive oil. With their combined efforts, after one year of cooperation, they have achieved higher production and better quality in their region, which was one of the main objectives at the beginning of the project. The results are really encouraging. So much so, that she encourages the farmers of an ARTOLIO to participate in international competitions and festivals, knowing the quality of her people is competitive enough.

However, and as assessed in ARTOLIO Thessaloniki, Dimitra is now concerned about the marketing and branding aspect of the project. She thinks the efforts made at ARTOLIO must be communicated to the market and consumers so as to increase the sales and income of the producers, and hopefully raise some customer awareness about high quality extra virgin olive oil. This way it will make the project and its methods attractive enough to other producers and millers to adopt the right agricultural practices, and hopefully join us in the future. That being said, the concerns of the producers from Cyprus is to step out of their local market eventually and tap into a broader field where they can make sales at better prices. 

Dimitra is happy to be a part of ARTOLIO, “I joined ARTOLIO because I wanted to work with people who are passionate about high quality extra virgin olive oil. I was assigned to this project through the DOA, where I work as an agronomist consultant specialized in extra virgin olive oil. I grew up in olive groves, so olives and olive oil will always be a part of my life. I was excited to share my passion with people who feel the same way I do.”