IOON × KIOOC
360° Olive Oil Foundations Masterclass
Seoul, Korea • 9 June 2026 • Hotel NewV
_edited.jpg)
Learn how to taste, select, use, pair, and explain olive oil with confidence. Understand olive oil’s health benefits responsibly. Participate in KIOOC as a junior taster.
360° OLIVE OIL FOUNDATIONS
A premium olive oil foundations masterclass by IOON and KIOOC
A one-day premium olive oil masterclass for consumers, chefs, retailers, importers, hospitality professionals, wellness practitioners, and serious food enthusiasts who want to understand olive oil’s extraordinary health benefits and learn how to taste, select, use, pair, and communicate olive oil with confidence.
Presented by the International Olive Oil Network — IOON in collaboration with the Korea International Olive Oil Competition — KIOOC, this program connects international olive oil education with Korea’s growing premium food, wellness, retail, and culinary landscape.
The masterclass will take place in Seoul, Korea, at Hotel NewV, a contemporary venue located in the heart of Gangnam, offering a modern and accessible setting for a focused international learning experience. The program includes guided tastings of carefully selected olive oils chosen to support structured learning.
.jpg)
Why This Masterclass
Learn Olive Oil Beyond the Label
Olive oil is increasingly valued around the world as a health-supportive fat, a product of culture, and one of the most important ingredients in contemporary food, wellness, and gastronomy.
In Korea, interest in extra virgin olive oil is growing across homes, restaurants, retail, wellness, gifting, and premium food experiences. But choosing good olive oil is not always easy. Labels, origin, price, awards, and packaging do not tell the full story.
The goal is simple:
to help participants select, taste, use, explain, and appreciate olive oil with greater confidence.
This masterclass helps participants understand olive oil through guided tasting, expert instruction, and practical education. The oils are selected to help participants recognize meaningful differences in quality, freshness, intensity, style, culinary use, and consumer preference.
Participants will learn how to choose the right olive oil for different needs — from everyday cooking and finishing dishes to premium gifting, retail selection, hospitality, and responsible health communication.
WHY IOON × KIOOC
International Education Meets
Korea’s Olive Oil Platform
Korean International Olive Oil Competition (KIOOC)
KIOOC provides Korea with an international olive oil competition platform that supports quality awareness, producer visibility, and market development.
International Olive Oil Network (IOON)
IOON brings an independent international education framework connecting sensory evaluation, production knowledge, gastronomy, health, sustainability, culture, and market communication.
Together, IOON and KIOOC offer participants a rare opportunity: a premium educational experience connected to real competition exposure and the opportunity to participate in KIOOC as junior tasters.
This is not only a course. It is an entry point into a wider professional olive oil learning ecosystem.
Program at a Glance
Tuesday, June 9, 2026
Save the date and secure your spot for the upcoming masterclass.
Questions? Drop us a line at info@oliveoilnetwork.org
Fee: KRW 600,000, including olive lunch box
Special opportunity: Participation in KIOOC as junior tasters
Location: Hotel NewV, Seoul, Korea
Capacity: 20 participants
Certificate: IOON Certificate of Completion
Progression: Opportunity to fast-track toward IOON’s Advanced Olive Oil Sommelier level
Format: One-day in-person masterclass
Teaching time: 6 hours
For People Who Want to Understand Olive Oil Seriously
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
.jpg)
Consumers who want to choose better olive oil
Chefs and culinary professionals
Retailers and buyers
Importers and distributors
Hospitality professionals
Wellness and nutrition professionals
Food educators and communicators
KIOOC participants and future tasters
Producers and brand representatives interested in Korea
Serious enthusiasts who want to deepen their olive oil expertise
This program is designed for people who want to understand olive oil as more than a product on a shelf.
It is relevant for:
No previous olive oil training is required. The course is designed to be accessible, practical, and professional.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
Participants will learn how to:
Taste olive oil with structure
and recognize essential quality signals.
Communicate olive oil’s health benefits responsibly
and with credibility.
Understand freshness, defects, intensity, and style
through guided comparison.
Pair olive oil with food
and understand how different oils can complement, contrast, or enhance ingredients and dishes.
Choose the right
olive oil
for food, retail, gifting, hospitality, and health-conscious use.
Enter the IOON education ecosystem
including KIOOC junior taster participation and the opportunity to fast-track toward IOON’s Advanced Olive Oil Sommelier level.
Understand how production, storage, and time affect quality
and consumer experience.
Learning Experience
From Tasting to Selection, Health, Pairing, and Communication
The masterclass follows a clear learning journey. Participants first build sensory confidence, then understand how olive oil quality is created and protected, and finally connect this knowledge to food use, health, consumer communication, and the Korean market.
01
Guided olive oil tasting
02
Practical quality recognition
03
Production and freshness fundamentals
04
Label and selection guidance
05
Health-benefit education
06
Food pairing and culinary application
07
Market and consumer insight
08
KIOOC junior taster exposure
The program is structured to be practical, focused, and directly useful for consumers and professionals.
INTERNATIONAL FACULTY
Learn from Leading Global Olive Oil Voices
The masterclass is taught by international experts active in olive oil sensory evaluation, production, education, market development, and competition culture.
The faculty includes experts who lead or participate in IOC-recognized olive oil sensory panels, international education initiatives, and olive oil market development across Europe and Asia.
Participants learn from professionals who are not only teaching olive oil, but actively shaping how olive oil is evaluated, produced, communicated, and appreciated internationally.
Emmanuel Karpadakis
Greece · Olive Oil Expert, Educator, and Industry Strategist
Emmanuel Karpadakis brings deep expertise across the olive oil value chain — from production and quality to sensory evaluation, exports, innovation, health communication, and global market education. He helps participants understand how olive oil quality is created, how freshness and storage affect value, how to choose the right olive oil for different uses, and how olive oil can be communicated with clarity and credibility.
Hideaki Shibata
Japan · IOC Sensory Panel Expert and Olive Oil Educator
Hideaki Shibata is a leading Japanese olive oil sensory expert and educator. He participates in IOC-recognized sensory work and plays an important role in advancing olive oil quality evaluation and education across Asian markets. He helps participants taste olive oil with structure, recognize quality, identify defects, and compare different styles of extra virgin olive oil.
Lee Jung-suk
Korea · Founder of KIOOC and Olive Oil Market Educator
Lee Jung-suk is the founder of the Korea International Olive Oil Competition and a leading voice in Korea’s olive oil culture. Trained as a sommelier in Spain, Italy, and Greece, he has built a platform connecting global olive oil brands with the Korean market. He connects the masterclass to Korea’s consumer landscape, retail opportunity, competition culture, and future olive oil education ecosystem.
PARTICIPANT BENEFITS
IOON Certificate of Completion
Better understanding of olive oil’s health benefits
Opportunity to participate in KIOOC as junior tasters
Practical food-pairing and culinary-use guidance
Exposure to KIOOC competition olive oil entries
Knowledge for retail, hospitality, cooking, gifting, and consumer education
Guided tasting of carefully selected olive oils that demonstrate meaningful differences in quality, style, freshness, and use
Priority invitations to future IOON and KIOOC seminars
Practical knowledge for choosing the right olive oil depending on purpose and use
Opportunity to fast-track toward IOON’s Advanced Olive Oil Sommelier level
20% invitation discount for IOON’s 360° Olive Oil Sommelier Advanced Certificate Program 2026 in Athens
WHY IOON
An Independent International Institution for Olive Oil Education, Professional Development and Trust
The International Olive Oil Network — IOON is a Swiss-based independent organization advancing olive oil appreciation, education, sensory knowledge, gastronomy, health, sustainability, oleotourism and market trust worldwide.
IOON connects sensory science, gastronomy, health, sustainability, culture, oleotourism and market communication through an international network of experts, institutions, educators, producers, and recognized sensory professionals.
Its programs are designed for people who want to understand olive oil not only as a product, but as a field of professional knowledge.
.jpg)
Through the collaboration with KIOOC, the program strengthens olive oil education and understanding in Korea while offering participants a rare opportunity to experience the world of international olive oil competitions, deepen their sensory capability, and taste olive oils from around the world.
Begin Your Olive Oil Journey in Korea
Join the IOON × KIOOC 360° Olive Oil Foundations Masterclass in Seoul and take your first step into international olive oil education.
Learn how to taste, select, use, pair, and explain olive oil with confidence.
Understand olive oil’s health benefits responsibly.
Participate in KIOOC as a junior taster.
Gain access to the IOON education ecosystem.
