11.29.23
Catalonia's future culinary opinion leaders taste extra virgin olive oils
Almost 500 students from 16 Catalan hospitality and catering schools took part in the 3rd guided extra virgin olive oil tasting organised by Prodeca for World Olive Tree Day. The session was led by Àngels Calvo, head of Catalonia's Official Virgin Oil Tasting Panel, and featured all five Catalan PDOs (Terra Alta, Baix Ebre-Montsià, Empordà, Siurana and Les Garrigues).
The event was streamed on Prodeca's website and the students followed Àngels Calvo's instructions online as she guided them through the tastings. At the schools and training centres, students had the samples sent by the different Catalan PDOs so they could taste our oils.
Olive oil, part of Catalonia's culinary heritage
This is the third guided extra virgin oil tasting, held to coincide with World Olive Tree Day. The initiative arose when Prodeca reshaped its activities in 2020, after the pandemic, to give greater weight to virtual formats.
The tasting is a joint project with the 5 Catalan PDOs and Catalonia's Official Virgin Olive Oil Tasting Panel, aiming to spread the word about the virtues of Catalan PDO oils among Catalonia's future culinary opinion leaders now training at Catalan hospitality schools. The 500 Catalan students taking part are training to become front-of-house managers, chefs or sommeliers , and the session introduces both the characteristics of the different Catalan oil varieties and their culinary uses.
The 16 hospitality schools taking part in the virtual oil tasting:
- Escola Superior d'Hostaleria de Bcn (ESHOB)
- Institut Abat Oliba de Ripoll
- Institut Baix Empordà
- Institut de Tona (Escola d'Hosteleria)
- Institut Dertosa
- Institut d'Hoteleria i Turisme de Lleida
- Institut Escola d'Hostaleria i Turisme de Girona
- Institut Escola d'Hoteleria i Turisme de Cambrils
- Institut Joan Ramon Benaprès
- Institut Martí Dot
- Institut Olivar Gran de Figueres
- Institut Ramon Coll i Rodés
- Jesuïtes Sarrià-Sant Ignasi
- l'EHTV Escola d'Hoteleria i Turisme del Vallès. Torre Mossèn Homs
- Institut Hug Roger III
- Institut Cavall Bernat
11.27.20
The olive oil sector in Catalonia: 347 companies, 1,500 workers and € 863M in annual turnover
Catalonia currently has 347 olive oil companies with a combined turnover of € 873 million and 1,459 employees. These data come from the report, prepared by ACCIÓ and Prodeca, that has been presented coinciding with World Olive Day.
01.13.23
Catalan olive oils tasted in Germany
On Thursday 12 January, Cologne hosted the first of the guided olive oil tastings for German professionals organised by Prodeca with the collaboration of the Catalan Government Delegation to Germany, to promote Catalan olive oil companies a
