International Olive Council 2020 planned promotion programme

Grants

In order to encourage member countries to organise promotional activities to give the organisation greater visibility and improve quality, ES plan to extend this grant to the organisation of national Mario Solinas competitions.

Promotional activities in non-member countries

In 2020, ES will continue their campaign in China and maintain activities related to Japan.

Promotion campaign in China

According to final figures, olive oil consumption in China in the 2015/2016 harvest year was 39,000 tonnes. According to provisional data, consumption is expected to reach 52,000 tons in 2019/2020, an increase of 33.3%. According to final data, olive oil consumption in China in the 2014/2015 harvest year was 33 500 tonnes. According to provisional data, consumption reached 51 500 tonnes in the 2018/2019 marketing year, an increase of 53.7%. Between February 2019 and February 2020 imports increased by more than 15%. This means that China is the second largest market for the growth of olive oil imports in percentage terms. The ES will continue their activities in this market, including advanced sensory analysis courses in Beijing, two workshops in Shenzhen and Chengdu, digital activities (website), PR and press relations.

Due to the pandemic, ES have postponed these activities until the second half of 2020. But it seems that activities will be possible before the end of the year.

After the start and intermediate courses in 2019, an advanced training course on sensory analysis and IOC standards will be organised for members of the Chinese olive oil industry (producers, importers, etc.) and relevant government agencies. The training course will be held for 60-70 people and participants must have attended previous courses.

According to the initial plan, two workshops may be held for members of the Chinese olive oil industry (producers, importers, buyers, distributors, etc.), media and chefs to provide guidance on olive oil quality and good practices in line with IOC standards. After the IOC’s introduction to the olive oil market and economy, the doctor/nutritionist will hold a conference on the health benefits of olive oil followed by a tasting and cooking demonstration that will highlight olive oil and its use in local Chinese cuisine. All activities will be supported by the locale press office, which will provide press releases and media contact to organize contacts and interviews with local media.

Activities in Japan

The Executive Secretariat is working with various institutions in Japan to encourage the implementation of the IOC standard and bring Japan closer to IOC member countries. The presence of the IOC in this market is therefore essential to contribute to the organisation of meetings and institutional events in 2020. The Executive Secretariat continues to work on the details of the Japanese programme which will be refined, covid – 19 permitting.

Photo by Olio Officina

Olio Officina