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Program information
PRICE & DETAILS
HKD 11,800
Tuition
HKD 10,620 (10% discount) for registrations confirmed by 31st August 2026.
Questions? Drop us a line at contact@oliveoilnetwork.org
Duration: 3 days, including access to the Future of Olive Oil Summit — Asia
Dates: 11 - 13 September 2026
Places: Limited to protect the quality of tasting, interaction and faculty feedback.
What's included?
Programme
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The full professional programme
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Carefully selected premium olive oils
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Tasting materials
Experience
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Culinary activities
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Lunches
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Access to the Future of Olive Oil Summit — Asia
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Summit networking reception
Qualification
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Assessment
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Certificate
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IOON graduate membership benefits
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20% discount on a future IOON Level 3 programme
WHY THIS PROGRAMME
A New Olive Oil Programme
for Asia
Olive oil is becoming increasingly important across premium retail, hospitality, wellness, gifting and contemporary gastronomy. Yet choosing, using and communicating olive oil well requires more than recognising a famous origin, an attractive bottle or an award. Professionals need to understand quality, sensory differences, production, storage, culinary use, health evidence and commercial value.
IOON Level 2 — Olive Oil Sommelier: Asia Edition brings these dimensions together in one intensive, assessed programme designed for Hong Kong and the wider Asian market. It is a professional sommelier qualification covering the essential knowledge, sensory competence and practical judgment expected at Level 2.
One intensive, assessed programme designed for Hong Kong and the wider Asian market.
PARTICIPANTS
Who Should Attend
The programme is designed for broad audience.
Culinary & Hospitality
Chefs
F&B leaders
Culinary professionals
Trade & Retail
Importers
Distributors
Buyers
Enthusiasts
Entrepreneurs
Educators
Experience designers
Serious enthusiasts
No previous certification is required.
The curriculum is delivered at an intensive professional standard.
PROGRAMME EXPERIENCE
What You Will Experience
Over three days, participants will:
taste, understand, apply, and recommend olive oils.
A carefully curated range of oils will be used through guided tastings, blind samples, comparative flights, culinary experiments and professional case work.
Compare cultivars, origins and sensory styles.
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Taste carefully selected premium olive oils from around the world
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Compare cultivars, origins and sensory styles
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Learn to recognise freshness, positive attributes and principal defects
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Connect what they taste to cultivation, harvesting, milling and storage
IOON LEARNING DESIGN
The programme follows a clear progression
01 Taste
Develop professional tasting technique and learn to recognise quality, sensory structure and principal defects.
02 Decode
Understand how cultivar, fruit condition, production, chemistry, storage and transportation shape what is experienced in the glass.
03 Apply
Select and use olive oil with purpose across cooking, finishing, pairing and dish development.
04 Guide
Turn technical and sensory knowledge into credible recommendations, stronger experiences and better professional decisions.
CURRICULUM
A Professional Sommelier Curriculum
The programme integrates six connected areas of olive oil expertise.
Sensory evaluation
Professional tasting technique, positive attributes, principal defects, intensity, balance and structured sensory judgment. The sensory curriculum is informed by the methods, terminology and quality principles of the International Olive Council — IOC, while remaining focused on individual professional, culinary and commercial application.
Production & Quality
Production and Quality Cultivation, harvesting, milling, filtration, chemistry, freshness and the complete product lifecycle.
Cultivars and Global Styles
Representative varieties, origins and production styles from the Mediterranean and beyond.
Health and Evidence
The relationship between olive oil, dietary patterns and cardiovascular, metabolic and cognitive health.
Culinary Application
How to select and use olive oil for cooking, finishing, pairing and flavour development. The module establishes practical principles that can be applied across cuisines, with examples drawn from Mediterranean cooking and local Asian culinary contexts.
Communication & Value
Product selection, customer guidance, portfolio curation, hospitality, retail, gifting and premium experience design.
FACULTY MEMBERS
Faculty members
Faculty members will be presented with their photograph, country and specialist topic.
Full biographies and relevant affiliations will be included in the programme dossier.
INCLUDED IN THE PROGRAMME
Future of Olive Oil Summit - Asia
The programme includes access to the Future of Olive Oil Summit — Asia, connecting international expertise with regional perspectives on quality, trust, premiumisation and the future of olive oil in Asia.
Summit access | Networking reception
CERTIFICATION
Assessment & Certification
This is not an attendance-only tasting course.
Knowledge
Sensory Evaluation
Applied Judgement
IOON Level 2 — Olive Oil Sommelier Certificate
The qualification confirms assessed competence across the essential areas of professional olive oil knowledge, sensory evaluation, selection, use and communication.
The programme draws on IOC sensory terminology and principles. It does not qualify participants as official panel tasters or provide legal classification authority. IOON-certified sommeliers may progress to specialist panel training through advanced courses offered by IOON and selected IOON ecosystem partners.
YOUR PATHWAY
Your Journey with IOON
IOON Level 2 is a professional qualification in its own right. It is also the recommended pathway to IOON Level 3 — 360° Advanced Olive Oil Sommelier.
360° Olive Oil Sommelier
Recognise. Explain. Select. Apply. Recommend.
Professional qualification in olive oil knowledge, sensory evaluation and applied judgment.
360° Advanced Olive Oil Sommelier
Evaluate. Diagnose. Advise strategically.
Advance into independent evaluation, complex quality diagnosis and strategic professional application.
Successful Level 2 graduates receive:
20% discount on a future IOON Level 3 programme
The discount is personal, non-transferable and subject to the terms and availability of the selected Level 3 edition.
IOON Community
Graduate membership connects you with an international network of olive oil professionals, education and future opportunities.
Resources · Activities · International connections Access to selected IOON resources and communications Invitations to professional and educational activities Connection with an international olive oil community Preferential access to selected IOON programmes and events Opportunities to participate in future IOON initiatives A 20% discount on a future Level 3 programme
