Lucini Italia Announces Sponsorship of Extra Virgin Olive Oil Intensive Tasting Seminar

MIAMI, Oct. 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- With extra virgin olive oil use by Americans increasing every year and a recent United States International Trade Commission report revealing a majority of extra virgin olive oils on the shelves are "adulterated and mislabeled products," a deep understanding of extra virgin olive oil is becoming essential to operate successfully in this dynamic category.

Lucini Italia is proud to sponsor the National Organization of Olive Oil Tasters' (ONAOO) Intensive Tasting Seminar, a two-day training modeled after a five-day ONAOO course based in Imperia, Italy. A first of its kind in the United States, the course is led by Italian ONAOO instructors and will teach proper tasting techniques and sensory analysis, among other topics.  Held in San Francisco before the Specialty Food Association's Winter Fancy Food Show, the seminar is targeting buyers and category managers who have the task of listing and reviewing olive oils for sale or use in their stores, distributorships or restaurants.  However, anyone passionate about extra virgin olive oil is encouraged to attend.

David Neuman, president of Lucini, attended the full course in Italy and was impressed with the vast knowledge the ONAOO instructors possessed. Afterwards, he developed an hour-long training that explained how extra virgin olive oil is made and why it is imperative to be able to discern quality vs. fraudulent oils. Lucini has held over 20 trainings in the last year for retailers, distributors and consumer magazines, all of which ended with the audience hungry to learn more about olive oil and asking how they could attend an ONAOO course.

Realizing that the high cost of travel to Imperia, course fees and the fact that the course is held in English only twice a year may prohibit many to attend, Lucini began working with ONAOO's scientific advisor, Dr. Mauro Amelio, to bring a version of the course to America.

"Lucini is not benefiting financially from the training," said David Neuman. "Simply put, high quality is our mantra and the more people understand and respect premium extra virgin olive oil, the better the category will be as a whole."

The Imperia-based course has been attended by Tom Mueller, author of the New York Times bestseller, Extra Virginity, Nick Coleman, chief oleologist at Eataly in New York and Eryn Balch, executive vice president of the North American Olive Oil Association.

"This course, or one like it, should be mandatory for anyone in the olive oil business – and everyone who wants to understand oil quality," said Tom Mueller, who will serve as the keynote speaker for the seminar in San Francisco. "Plus the people in your course frequently become valuable contacts that broaden your experience of the industry."

Please visit www.oliveoilseries.com for more information, full curriculum and to register.

About Lucini Italia
Lucini's extra virgin olive oil is voted Cook's Illustrated "Top Supermarket Extra Virgin Olive Oil", is a staple in Bon Appetit Magazine's test kitchen and has been featured in O, The Oprah Magazine. Lucini's Limited Reserve® Premium Select Extra Virgin Olive Oil® received a gold medal at the 2013 New York International Olive Oil Competition. Visit www.lucini.com for more information.

About ONAOO
ONAOO was founded in Imperia, Italy in 1983 and is committed to defending, enhancing and safeguarding the important technical and cultural heritage represented by the art of tasting olive oil. ONAOO not only provides training, but also represents an impartial position based on scientific rigor, as well as a forum for the sharing of experiences, debate and the defense of olive oil quality. Visit www.oliveoil.org for more information.

SOURCE Lucini Italia