Olive Oil Assessments and Descriptions
A bespoke service for producers and importers
Level one:
Level two:
Level three:
I must point out that my assessments give an indication of quality but are not a substitute for official chemical or tasting panel results.
My descriptions can be used in all promotional material but cannot be attributed specifically to me, unless I have personally placed them in the public domain on my website or blog or in articles or books. However, they may be shown privately to individual buyers.
A specific service for retail buyers:
Level one:
- This consists of an initial opinion on the quality level of the oil and its viability in the UK marketplace. Any question marks over the quality of the oil are reported and an accredited chemical or organoleptical test is suggested.
- A minimum sample of 100ml is required at this level.
- The fee is £50.00 per oil.
Level two:
- This consists of an assessment of the general style of the oil together with a short note on its taste and flavour characteristics. Quality levels, market viability and possible problems are also highlighted.
- A minimum sample of 150ml is required at this level to accommodate two blind tastings taking place on different days.
- The fee is £100.00
Level three:
- This consists of an in-depth description of the style and flavour characteristics of the oil, taking in fruitiness, bitterness and pepperiness. Quality levels, market viability and possible problems are also highlighted.
- A minimum of 200ml is required at this level to accommodate three separate blind tastings, taking place over three days.
- The fee is £150.00
I must point out that my assessments give an indication of quality but are not a substitute for official chemical or tasting panel results.
My descriptions can be used in all promotional material but cannot be attributed specifically to me, unless I have personally placed them in the public domain on my website or blog or in articles or books. However, they may be shown privately to individual buyers.
A specific service for retail buyers:
- This is a useful tool for wholesale and retail buyers who may like to have some help in choosing new oils from an array of suppliers to add to their ranges. I work from numbered samples and give a short description of each oil and an indication of which I think are the best quality. The buyer can then match these choices to their prices to find the best value for money for their markets.
- To ensure confidentiality I do not ask for details of producers or suppliers. However, after tasting I do ask for general information on the regions of origin for my own curiosity.
- The fee for this service is £80.00 per oil tasted.
Recipe ServiceI am happy to develop recipes specifically to show off a producer’s own oils. I usually work to a brief which should include an outline of customers’ likely incomes and lifestyles, the type of occasion the dishes are designed for, the level of complexity or difficulty and the numbers the dish is to serve.
My fee for recipe development is £100 to £150 per recipe, depending on the complexity of the dish. This includes the cost of the ingredients and the testing. |
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Staff Training
I offer staff training courses on all aspects of olive oil for any company involved in the olive oil industry. These courses can be held at the client’s premises or at my offices in Brighton. They usually take the form of a two hour tasting class covering the following topics.
The oil samples may be chosen from the client’s own oils, from top oils in the market place or from a mixture of the two. Some clients are interested in oils from specific areas, others in their competitor’s oil.
The fee for this service is a minimum of £400.00 plus the cost of the oils and travel expenses.
- What is olive oil?
- Standards for extra virgin olive oil
- How to taste
- Why taste and what to look for
- Basic attributes of olive oil
- Faulty oils and how to recognize them
- Describing olive oil
- Concept of style in olive oil
- Specific flavour characteristics
The oil samples may be chosen from the client’s own oils, from top oils in the market place or from a mixture of the two. Some clients are interested in oils from specific areas, others in their competitor’s oil.
The fee for this service is a minimum of £400.00 plus the cost of the oils and travel expenses.
Presentations, Tutored Tastings and SeminarsI am available to run a variety of events hosted by regional bodies, trade associations, exhibition and conference organisers, promotion companies, individual producers and retail outlets.
Over the years I have been involved in events for groups within the olive oil industry, for catering college and cookery school students, for the media and for the general buying public. I have a minimum fee of £750.00 for such events. |
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