MOOOIC THE JURY 2026
Our Team of 12 international experts starts here.
We take the evaluation of the oils very seriously.
Here you will find a special International Jury the first with
12 certified Panel Leaders and experts from 4 countries.

moooic the jury, 13 recognized international experts and 10 Panel Leaders

Aldo Mazzini

Italy - IOC Panel Leader &
MASAF Panel Leader & Consultant

Aldo Mazzini is the ideator of the Masters of Olive Oil Competition. He is a quality business consultant, and he has worked as a freelance consultant for renowned international brands such as Deoleo/Carapelli and Zucchi SpA. His expertise is recognized in various capacities, including being the IOC Panel Leader for South Africa since 2022 and the MASAF Panel leader in Italy.

Mazzini has received specialized training at the ONAOO school and is listed on the International Register of ONAOO Professional Tasters. His academic background includes a University Degree in Business Administration from the Faculty of Economics and Commerce of the University of Genoa. He also holds a Master’s degree in Communication and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), recognized by the prestigious NLP Society led by Richard Bandler.

He has been a member of the panel of the Imperia Chamber of Commerce for the PDO (Protected Designation of Origin). Additionally, he has served as a judge and Panel Leader in numerous national and international olive oil competitions, including: Ercole Olivario, Orciolo d’Oro, Sirena d’Oro di Sorrento, Berlin Global Awards GOOA, London IOOC, Trophée Premium “Volubilis Extra-Vierge Maroc”, Zeytindostu Olive Oil Contest in Turkey, Nederland AIOOA. During the last 2 years, he has led the South Africa National Awards and the ABSA Awards.

Mazzini has extensive experience conducting training courses for various companies and individuals, both domestically and internationally. He has trained tasters and producers in countries such as the USA, Israel, Taiwan, Turkey, South Africa, and Italy. Over the past two years, Mazzini has led the South Africa National Awards and the ABSA Awards.

Aldo Mazzini has a wealth of experience, expertise, and leadership in the olive oil industry, spanning consultancy, tasting, education, and judging roles on national and international levels. His combination of academic training, specialized certifications, and practical experience positions him as a highly qualified professional in his field. (moooic the jury 2024)
Masters of olive Oil International Competition THE JURY

Stefania De Cesarei

Italy - IOC & MASAF Panel Leader

Stefania De Cesarei has been working in Milan since 2017 as Panel Leader of the tasting committee of Innovhub–Stazioni Sperimentali per l’Industria, recognized by the IOC. After graduating in Biological Sciences at the University of Messina and obtaining a post‑graduate Specialization in Food Chemistry and Technology at the University of Parma, she has been working for over twenty years at Innovhub as an expert laboratory analyst and specialist in the sensory evaluation of olive oil. She served as a judge in the 2017 edition of the Ercole Olivario competition and in the 2019 edition of Orciolo d’Oro. She is currently involved in quality control, training and outreach, and applied research in the field of olive oils. She also coordinates the annual organization of Innovhub’s olive oil Proficiency Test for the assessment of laboratory performance.

Manolis Salivaras

Greece - IOC Panel Leader & Consultant

Manolis Salivaras is an experienced laboratory analyst and an expert in the organoleptic evaluation of olive oil. He has studied Food Technology at the Technological Educational Institute of Thessaloniki and then at the Agricultural School of the University of Saskatchewan in Canada. At the same University, he has completed postgraduate studies in Food Science and Applied Microbiology. Since 1993, he has operated successfully in the field of laboratory analyses, and he is the general manager of the Multichrom-Lab, an olive oil analysis laboratory, accredited by the International Olive Council.

A long-term experience

He has experience of more than 20 years in EVOO analysis and organoleptic evaluations. Manolis has participated in many seminars on chemical instrument quality control and also in food control conferences on edible food fats. He has also undertaken the organization and participated as an olive oil expert in many competitions as a panel leader. Actually, he is the Panel Leader in the Berlin Global Awards Olive Oil Competition. For the period 2015 – 2016, the organoleptic panel Multichrom-Lab under his leadership won first place in the international ranking of annual certification carried out by the American Oil Chemists Society (AOCS). (moooic the jury 2024)

Luca Tondo

Italy - Panel Leader MASAF

Luca Tondo has been serving as the Head Panelist of the tasting committee of the Latium PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) since 2023. He has been involved in tasting activities in the tasting committee of the National Union of Olive Producers’ Associations (UNAPROL) since 2007, and he has also been participating in tasting activities in the Panel of the Rome Chamber of Commerce (CCIAA) since 2021. He has served as a judge in fifteen editions of the “Orciolo d’oro dei Colli Malatestiani” competition and in several editions of the “Leone d’oro,” “Ercole Olivario,” and “Sirena d’oro” competitions. His work in the olive sector supports activities outlined in operational programs, from 2002 to the present, with particular attention to drafting and assembling projects and their variations, verifying the financial resources allocated to the project and the appropriateness of expenditure, and processing data for specific sectoral research. He has contributed to the implementation, assisted, and conducted checks for the management of the certified traceability system for EVO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) supply chains. He has organized the activities carried out by the panel and activities for the training of tasters. He has been involved in the qualitative and selective control activities of oils for the “Qualità Italiana” project, conducted in collaboration with the University of Perugia and the University of Pisa. (moooic the jury 2024)

Stefano Roggerone

Italy - Panel Leader CIA Association

Stefano Roggerone is an official Olive Oil Panel Leader in Italy for the C.I.A. Organization in Imperia. He is a long-experienced taster and trainer for olive oil, and he is also a professional olive taster with long-term experience. During the last 10 years, he has taken part in many national and international judging Teams like the Monte Carlo Masters of Olive Oil, the BIOL and the Sol d’Oro. He has been on the MOOOIC judging Team since we started in 2016. (moooic the jury 2024)

Giovanni Martellini

Italy - Panel Leader ASSOPROLI
& Consultant

Giovanni Martellini holds a degree in agricultural sciences from the University of Bari.
He was a technical consultant for Assoproli Bari in relation to oil quality improvement programs from July 1997 until March 2021.
He was a technical consultant for the National Consortium of High-Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil, based in Rome 2004 – 2006.
Giovanni gave various lectures to technicians of UNAPROL.
Since 2003 “Quality and Safety Manager of Oliveti d’Italia SCPA.
He actually been the Assoproli Bari Panel Head since 2016.
He is an International Consultant for F.A.O. as an expert in olive growing and olive oil within projects in Morocco and in collaboration with Interprolive, the Ministry of Agriculture and Health in Rabat. From 2016, under contract for projects in Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, and Egypt.
Taster judge within the framework of various international competitions and chairman of the Tasting Committee of the Volubilis Prize of Mecknes – 2019.
Giovanni has organized various virgin olive oil tasting courses in collaboration with the University of Bari. (moooic the jury 2024)

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Himeyo Nagatomo

Japan- Licensed Panel Leader

Himeyo Nagatomo is currently the president of the Japan Olive Oil Taster Association, Having obtained the IOC International Olive Council’s Official Panel Leader Course Diploma, she is also an officially registered olive oil taster certified by the Italian Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies (MIPAAF). She has been Panel Leader at the Tokyo International EVOO Competition, Joota Awards and the Japan Domestic Olive Oil Competition for Japanese EVOOs. Nagatomo served as the first Asian judging panel member at various international olive oil contests, which included Italy, New Zealand, the United States and South Africa. She is also an experienced olive oil journalist and olive oil taster. Nagatomo frequently travels to olive oil-producing regions around the world, conducting cutting-edge research on olive cultivation and extraction techniques. (moooic the jury 2024) MOOOIC THE JURY 2026 . (moooic the jury 2026) MOHOOIC THE JURY (moooic the jury 2024)

Carmen Sanchez Garcia

Spain/Germany - Olive Oil Expert Consultant & Lecturer

Carmen Sanchez Garcia is an olive oil consultant who was born in Valdepeňas, Spain and currently resides in Pulheim, Germany. She holds a degree in Economics from the University of Castilla-La Mancha and is an accredited Extra Virgin Olive Oil Taster through the University of Jaén. As an educator and lecturer, Carmen has led numerous events, presentations, lectures and workshops on olive oil for prestigious entities such as Thyssen Krupp, Vitra, Anuga, Edeka Supermarkets, Cervantes Institute Bremen and Google Deutschland. Carmen has judged in the first edition of the Masters of Olive Oil, at Biopress and Feinschmecker (Germany), at Ovibeja (Portugal) and at the University of Jaén in Spain, at the Family Olive Oil competition (Israel). (moooic the jury 2026) MOHOOIC THE JURY (moooic the jury 2024)

Luca Mencaglia

Italy - Consultant & Panel Leader Licensed

Luca Mencaglia lives in Veneto, he is an expert consultant and taster. He is a member of the official committee of APROL in Umbria. Luca has a Panel Leader Diploma certification. Over the years, he has participated as a judge in many national and international competitions such as the Ercole Olivario, L’Orciolo d’Oro, Biol Prize (International Biological Oil Competition), and the IOOC Harmonia, the Sirena d’Oro in Sorrento, Regional selections guide “Gambero Rosso”. He has been judging in the MOOOIC Jury since the first edition of Sanremo 2016. Other activities related to the olive sector: guided tastings and training courses from 2010 to the present. He has been advising activities with Mills and Farms in Italy since 2011 and also in Japan since 2017. (moooic the jury 2024)

Giandomenico Scanu

Italy - Ex Panel Leader MIPAAF, Consultant

Giandomenico Scanu is a technical expert in olive growing and is in charge of AGRIS Sardegna’s experimental farm. He collaborates in research activities within his agency and with other institutions in the olive sector. He has been involved in the study and design of olive-growing pilot areas in the region.
He has extensive training in the olive oil field at the National Olive Oil Academy in Spoleto, the Experimental Institute for Elaboration Technology in Pescara, and the Experimental Institute for Olive Growing in Cosenza.
He has been a professional taster since 1993 and a Panel Leader since 1995. He has participated in numerous panel leader committees at the IOC in Madrid. Over the years, he has participated in numerous national and international competition juries: 4 times a member of the Ercole Olivario jury. He is also a table olive taster and has served on local and national juries of table olive competitions. He has attended training courses at Accredia for control activities in agri-food systems, inspection activities, and certification of agri-food productions. Lecturer in training courses for sensory analysis of olive oil. Since 2007, an inspector for the PDO of extra virgin olive oil from Sardinia, he is an active member of the Agris Sardegna Panel. (moooic the jury 2024)

Aleandro Ottanelli

Italy - Panelist & Panel Leader Licensed - Consultant

Aleandro Ottanelli collaborates in research activities with the University of Florence as an expert in the field of fruit tree cultivation. In particular in the olive growing sector for the genetic improvement of the olive tree, cultivation techniques and breeding forms are suitable for mechanical harvesting. In recent years, he has been following with particular attention the development of new cultivation systems with high planting density; among the activities, the establishment of experimental olive groves and varietal collections. He conducts work to verify the adaptability of cultivars to cultivation intensification, mechanical pruning, production efficiency and drupe ripening. He is an expert oil taster and has in fact been a member of the AIFO tasting panel in Florence for many years. Since 2009, he has also been a Certified Panel Leader at the Florence Chamber of Commerce. He is an excellent connoisseur of Italian and foreign cultivars, having consulted on new plantings in many countries around the world over the last 10 years. (moooic the jury 2024)

Marco Gandolfi

Italy - Deputy Panel Leader at ONAOO

Marco Gandolfi has a degree in Law obtained from the University of Genoa. He has been a professional taster for more than 20 years, and recently he has obtained his Panel Leader Certification in Sicily. He is passionate about Olive Oil matters, and he did his olive oil training in Imperia during the ’90s at the ONAOO School. He is a certified ONAOO professional taster. Marco has also been an official member of the ONAOO tasting Panel for more than 20 years, and he is on the International ONAOO Tasters’ list. He took part in many local competitions and Juries in Italy. He has judged in the Ercole Olivario National Competition. He has also been part of the Orciolo d’Oro Jury four times. This is the oldest olive oil International Competition in Italy and one of the most famous. (moooic the jury 2026) MOOOIC THE JURY (moooic the jury 2024)

MOOOIC The Jury

MOOOIC the Jury 2026: we are a dedicated team comprised of expert tasters, knowledgeable consultants, and passionate lecturers, all united by our profound love for Olive Oil. Our mission is simple yet profound: to meticulously evaluate and honour the essence of your olive oil samples with the utmost care and attention they deserve.

At MOOOIC, we hold a profound respect for the artistry and commitment behind every drop of extra virgin olive oil. Recognizing the tireless efforts and dedication you put into crafting top-quality products, we strive to assign each sample its rightful recognition.

Awards are more than mere accolades; they symbolize excellence, dedication, and mastery. That’s why, as we embark on this tasting journey, we approach each glass with the gravity and respect it deserves.

Don’t miss your chance to be part of the prestigious MOOOIC 2026 Edition. Enrol now and let your olive oil’s brilliance shine!

*”The list of Judges might change before the beginning of the Contest”