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10 GENERAL NEWS Olive Oil Continued from PAGE 1 Show, sponsored by the Italian Trade Commission in New York, in which he and other experts instructed attendees on how to identify good quality olive oil. According to Marsano, oil slicksters are hard at work making their lesser quality goods appear to be the real thing. For example, some companies package poor quality mass produced olive oil in small, designer-looking bottles, making it appear similar to authentic small-batch produced products. Labels can also be trickily worded to make a product seem like what it is not. For example, a consumer purchasing a bottle labeled "imported from Italy" may think that he or she is purchasing an authentic Italian olive oil, when in reality the product may be made from olives grown and pressed in Tunisia or Uruguay and then simply shipped from Italy. In addition, a company might work to obscure or entirely eliminate the age of the olive oil on the label. This can be especially problematic, as the flavor and aroma of good extra virgin olive oil dissipates over time. Marsano pointed out one particularly insidious word retailers and consumers should look out for on a label when seeking out high quality olive oil: pomace. If a bottle describes its contents as "olive pomace oil," this means that it has been pressed from the remnants (or what Marsano referred to as the "garbage") at the bottom of the olive press. Pomace olive oil must be treated with chemicals in order to make it edible, and it is an extremely poor substitute for the authentic version. However, without looking carefully at the bottle, it might be easy for a shopper to walk away from a store with a bottle of this, thinking GOURMET NEWS SEPTEMBER 2013 www.gourmetnews.com that she or he is getting a fine product. For a retailer hoping to offer consumers a carefully curated selection of artisanal domestic and imported olive oils, it is important to carefully investigate each product to ensure that what the store is merchandising is in fact a real, first press, reliable product and not a cleverly masked fake. This necessitates a little bit of research. The first step in evaluating a bottle of extra virgin olive oil is to look over the label and the packaging. A good bottle will be made from glass, not plastic, and will be tinted green or brown to protect it from sunlight. There may be other hints in the packaging as to the oil's authenticity. For example, the highly prized oils from Liguria, Italy, will always be wrapped from top to bottom in gold or silver foil. If an olive oil is described as "light" or "diet," this is another red flag that indicates it has added chemicals and is of inferior quality. If it is described as "enriched," it is likely to contain other ingredients that consumers are unlikely to want. On the other hand, consumers should also look out for the beneficial phrase "cold pressed." This is a positive indication that no heat was introduced during the crushing of the olives, making the oil less likely to contain any defects. It can also be useful to consider the price on the label as well. If the cost of one extra virgin olive oil is significantly lower than the others on the shelf, it is safe to assume there is a reason for that. "Well-made extra virgin olive oil will never be dirt cheap," said Fotis Kefalis, Export Sales Manager for Greek olive oil producer EVGE. "If an 'extra virgin' (or so it says) olive oil is much more affordable than the other ones on the shelf, that's a red flag. Artisanship takes time and money, and high-quality olive oil producers have certain costs to cover before they can even start to make a profit." Trade Show Buzz BY KRISTINA HARRIS The 2013 Natural Products Expo East is quickly approaching. The event will be held September 25-28 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Maryland. This event is always highly anticipated by retailers and buyers alike, as it is the largest natural, organic and healthy products trade show on the East Coast. "Unlike its West Coast counterpart, the Expo East is a more intimate experience for both buyers and sellers," says Adam Andersen, Natural Products Group Show Director. "We are a great place for regional brands to get exposure, but we also have larger companies here. It's ideal for networking." The main theme of this year's show is conscious capitalism, a movement that calls for businesses to be driven by values based on social and personal responsibility in addition to the goal of becoming financially profitable. Raj Sisodia, Ph.D., author, businessman and a local and global leader of the conscious capitalism movement, will be speaking as the Expo's keynote speaker on Friday, September 27. Sisodia believes that his message is ex- The second step in judging a good olive oil is to taste it. After tasting one oil at the "Find the Fake" seminar, Fulvio Genovese, consultant for UNAPROL, an Italian consortium of olive oil producers said, "Task masters have a very easy time telling that this olive oil is not Italian, because it has a very peculiar aroma." Genovese explained that a well-trained judge can tell a great deal about an olive oil simply by evaluating its aroma, flavor and mouthfeel. A good olive oil will have a distinct aroma, whether it be floral, herbaceous or fruity. It should have both bitterness and spiciness on the tongue. And it should not leave your mouth feeling greasy. There are, however, more scientific tests that can be conducted in order to definitively identify a product's level of quality. EVGE is one olive oil company that has demonstrated a profound commitment to scientific testing. Kefalis explained that his company conducts two separate types of tests in an effort to prove that its offerings are truly well made. Through chemical analysis, a laboratory determines the levels of beneficial polyphenols and oleic acid, two components of good olive oil. Organoleptic analysis consists of professional aesthetic testing, in which tasters evaluate sense notes, including fruity, nutty, fresh grassy, peppery and others. "EVGE's philosophy and main concern is to ensure that extra virgin olive oil maintains its stable characteristics for the final consumer. This is the reason we make all the appropriate analyses (both chemical and organoleptic) throughout the whole process of its production," Kefalis said. Still, all the testing in the world is no substitute for a carefully cultivated, trustworthy brand name. There are certain brands that retailers can almost always feel comfortable putting on their shelves knowing that these are going to be products of quality. One of the oldest extra virgin olive oil companies currently offering its product in this country, Colavita, for example, has worked hard over the past 35 years to cement its reputation for excellence. In the 1970s, when Colavita first started offering olive oil in the American market, it was "kind of a niche, something that people didn't know about," said Andrea Colavita, owner and Director of Sales for Colavita. "Slowly over time, [consumers] got used to the brand. They had time to appreciate the quality…and the fact that we always focus on offering 100 percent Italian extra virgin olive oil." "I think consumers since 30 years, they have never been disappointed about their Colavita products, which the brand is offering in the U.S. market," Colavita said. "So they keep buying our brand and also trying the new offers we make." For a dedicated retailer looking to offer her or his customers some unique, smallbatch extra virgin olive oils produced by less well known brands, however, it can be productive to reach out to the producer for more information. By developing relationships with suppliers, retailers can feel safe that their customers will not be disappointed when they get home with their new acquisitions. As consumers increasingly wise up to the dirty tricks some olive oil companies are attempting to play on them, the secret to future success in the industry is almost invariably sure to be transparency. "I think as in every sector, the secret is to be honest, to be clear and to let consumers understand the culture of the olive oil—not having misunderstandings about tricky words," Colavita said. "The point is to be honest, to have nothing to hide, and to be clear on the labeling." GN Expo East Tackles Conscious Capitalism, Unveils Next Big Thing for Natural Industry tremely pertinent to natural product companies. "In today's rapidly evolving world, it matters greatly not only what we produce, but also how we run our businesses," he says. "Conscious businesses are driven by a higher purpose, built on love and care rather than fear and stress." Expo East organizers hope to cultivate an intimate setting within which show attendees can discuss Sisodia's message and exchange ideas about how their own companies can adopt strategies to not only succeed, but also build conscious business practices at the same time. An exciting event planned for this year's Expo East will be the unveiling of the NEXT Accelerator program, previously soft-launched at the Natural Products Expo West earlier this year. The NEXT Natural Products Industry Accelerator gives entrepreneurial brands searchable access to the information, tools, service providers and networking contacts they need to launch and grow their natural products businesses. "Basically, it's an online portal where members of the industry can connect with each other," says Andersen. This is the only "product-to-shelf workshop" program of its type in the natural market. It features fundraising, manufacturing, distribution, branding, sales and marketing topics. There are also a number of highly valuable informational sessions planned for this year's show that attendees will certainly want to take advantage of. According to Andersen, the planned retailer workshops are definitely educational, and are sure to be worth the time and money spent on them. Finally, Anderson also urges those present at the show to attend one other special event: "Join us for our Community Celebration Event that precedes the Orioles Game on the 26th, from 5-7 p.m. at Camden Terrace. It's going to be a tailgate theme that will officially kick off the Expo East." GN

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