Mariangela Molinari

Why is it that undergraduate master’s degrees in olive tree cultivation and oil-making techniques have very little success, and never evolve to more advanced degrees? Why is it that no attempt is made to change vocational education and bring a breath of fresh air to a sector now at a standstill? And what about the role of the oil specialist? Where can one acquire blending skills? There are no specific courses for future blenders. And even the schools for professional tasters have great limitations

In recent years, great efforts have been made to improve the quality of extra virgin olive oil, but what about its appearance? Is design a critical factor? Packaging, a key tool in sensory marketing, strongly influences the choices made by customers standing in front of a supermarket shelf crammed with bottles of similar price and quality

The recent Olio Officina Festival gave the Italian audience the opportunity of getting a better view of the olive compartment in this North African country. Though endowed with a vast array of varieties that have adapted to its many environmental conditions, Tunisian oil production mostly relies on two cultivars: Chemlali, representing 70% of the olives employed, and Chetoui