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Obtaining high-quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil is the ultimate goal. But having tasting notions it's not enough because you have to know where is coming from what are tasting comes from.
Olive oil is the final product, which has been influenced by the farm, the harvest, the transport and the milling process. Hence, it is very important to know how each step affects both the quality and quantity of the final product.
Having a broad overview of the whole always provides numerous advantages, since knowledge from different areas can be linked and thus obtain a valuable synergistic effect.
Starting with the olive grove management area, which is responsible for giving rise to the raw product, that is the olive, which will be processed after harvesting.
Much emphasis is placed on the variety when talking about the main characteristics of an olive oil, which would be the main chemical and organoleptic characteristics. But factors such as water stress, nutrition or pruning also leave their mark on the final characteristics of the oil.
The health of the olive tree crop can make the difference between obtaining a fantastic extra virgin or a lampante. In other words, the difference between obtaining the highest quality in an oil or a low quality in the product we are looking for.
Having notions about olive grove management, we can direct the olive grove to where we are most interested, depending on the product we want to obtain, both in quality and quantity. And the viability of the activity, as in any business, depends largely on the economic benefit resulting from subtracting expenses from benefits.
This is why it is of great importance to carry out a training where all the areas that the olive oil sector touches are studied and worked, since they all influence the business model that we have in mind.
Sometimes, we think that doing a separate course can solve all the doubts we have about olive oil, but this is not the case. A separate course will give us notions about a specific aspect of olive oil. For example, an olive grove management course will help us to get to know olive trees and olive groves more closely. But if we do it within the framework of a master's degree, it will be a module within the entire complex and exciting world of olive oil, markets, marketing, processing, tasting, etc. That is, it will be part of a whole, and in this way it will make us better understand what are the best decisions that we can take at any time.
Investment in training is the first item that we must respect when it comes to starting or developing a project related to olive oil.
The Internet provides us with a multitude of information, sometimes even contradictory, and we cannot base our knowledge on everything that is established on the network, but rather we have to centralize our efforts and our interests in quality information and training backed by professionals with proven experience.
Sometimes at ESAO we see how the decision of Master's students is to postpone their business related to olive oil and continue training before investing in their own business.
On other occasions, we see how the business models that the Master's student had in mind change, and they have pivoted towards another model more appropriate to their situation, but this has only been possible once they have completed the Master's degree and have acquired notions of the entire value chain that affect the development of an olive oil business.
This Master is a great opportunity to expand your knowledge of olive oil while at the same time allowing you to specialize in a specific field, since you will carry out a project where the theme will be the one that interests you the most and that you can apply in your business.
The added value that you can contribute to your company or your project will undoubtedly be one of the pillars that sustains the success of your business or idea.