A seminar on the quality characteristics of olive oil and the marketing of standardized extra virgin olive oil was held on Friday, March 31, 2023, at the KGE Filiatron  (Center of Agricultural Training in Filiatra, Messinia), with a large participation.

The seminar is part of the series of seminars organized within the framework of the ARTOLIO Research Program, of which the Kalamata Olive & Horticultural Department of Hellenic Agricultural Organization - DIMITRA is a partner.

The ARTOLIO project (Profitable and Sustainable artisanal olive oil industry in the Mediterranean) is a European project that aims to support small olive producers throughout the Mediterranean, part of the ENI CBC Med program for cross-border cooperation in the Mediterranean. It is a “platform” that concerns the Mediterranean basin with the participation of entities from the Mediterranean countries of Israel, Greece, Cyprus, Palestine and Spain, and its main purpose is the utilization and promotion of the extra virgin olive oil market, investing in equipment and knowledge to traditional olive oil producers and small mill owners.

The two sections of the seminar focused on deepening the issues of quality and entrepreneurship.

The scientific manager of the ARTOLIO project, Panagiotis Katsaris, Agricultural Biotechnologist, who belongs to the scientific staff of the Hellenic Agricultural Organization - DIMITRA in Kalamata, spoke about the value of extra virgin olive oil as a product with unique characteristics (chemical - organoleptic).

The business development consultant, Ilias Kalfakakos, presented marketing principles and methods, and communication techniques specifically for extra virgin olive oil businesses in order for the participants to gain a substantial basis for how they can promote their products.

In the context of the ARTOLIO project, other seminars have been planned in various regions of Messinia and the rest of Greece.

The aim is to spread the knowledge and experience gathered from projects like ARTOLIO and AUTHENTIC OLIVE NET to as large a part of the market as possible so that this product, which is so important for Greece, acquires the value it deserves.