The report of

The Greek Olive Oil Team

2003-2004

About

THE OLIVE-OIL EVENT IN ATHENS

By

Claire Comninelli Chrusanthi Kalloniati Michalis Vassios

(See at)

Page 2 Page 3 Page 5 Page 12

Few words for the event The questionnaire The results of the questionnaire Some points for analysis

Athens 2003-2004

THE OLIVE-OIL EVENT

During the winter semester, the olive-oil team organized an olive-oil tasting event, in order to compare the thesaurus lemon with other extra virgin olive oils of the Greek market. In this event 13 people took part. Seven oils were totally tasted, each one flavored with herbs or fruits (lemon, mandarin): Sparta, with sun dried tomato, garlic, oregano, rosemary and iviskos. Lyrakis, with garlic, sinapi, onion, oregano, pepper, rosemary and thyme. Gaea, with wild oregano. Gaea, with garlic and rosemary. Fiordiamante, with white truffle. Thesaurus, with lemon. Olive oil with mandarin. The olive-oil tasting procedure differs not much from the wine tasting one; you need to smell it and to taste it. Small quantities from the oils were put into plates of different colours, while printed labels of the same colours placed next to the plates indicated the type of the oil. So smelling and tasting each one was easy. In order to taste them, fresh white bread cut into small pieces was used, as the traditional way wants. Additionally, because of the strong taste of most olive oils, following a common tactic, pieces of apple were offered, which is a way to clean up the taste after every trial and keep each oils features as original and unique as possible. Some were a bit spicy, giving nice ideas for seafood and roasts; some others had a more fruity taste, great for vegetables and salads. But all testers, with the completion of a questionnaire including general questions about olive-oil consumption and special ones comparing all the participant oils, subjectively examined all the olive oils features. The analysis of these questionnaires provides the olive-oil team with important information about the ways that can make the thesaurus lemon more competitive and more attractive in the Greek Market.

(13 people, from all ages, answered the questionnaire and took part in the event)

The report of the Greek olive oil team by Claire Comninelli, Chrusanthi Kalloniati, Michalis Vassios.

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Questionnaire
In General 1. Is this your first time you taste extra virgin olive oil? Yes No

2. In what way do you use the extra virgin olive oil? 3. How many ml do you consume every month? 4. Do you prefer a specific product (brand name)? 5. Do you take into account the home country of the olive oil? Yes ... No

6. Which size of bottle do you believe that is the most suitable? Less than 250ml 250 ml 500ml More than 500ml 7. The external features of the bottle play any role to your choice? Yes No 8. Do you believe that the price has to do with the quality of the olive oil? Yes No 9. How much money can you afford for an olive oil of great quality? About the taste (each colour represents a brand name-look at the next page) 1. Which extra virgin olive oil was the most tasteful? 2. Which extra virgin olive oil had the most unexpected taste? 3. Which extra virgin olive oil has the most attractive bottle? 4. Which extra virgin olive oil do you believe that is the most expensive? 5. Which extra virgin olive oil do you believe that is better quality?

6. Which extra virgin olive oil would you buy? Why? .. 7. Which extra virgin olive oil you would not buy for sure? Why?
The report of the Greek olive oil team by Claire Comninelli, Chrusanthi Kalloniati, Michalis Vassios.

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......

The brand names of extra virgin olive oil

(Each colour represents a different brand name of olive oil)

Sparta: 500ml, sun dried tomato, garlic, oregano,

rosemary, iviskos from SPARTI.

Lyrakis: 500ml, garlic, sinapi, onion, oregano, pepper,

rosemary, thyme, from LASITHI.

Gaea: 250ml, wild oregano from AIGIO.

Gaea: 250ml, garlic, rosemary from AIGIO.

Fiordiamante: 250ml, white truffle, aroma from ITALY.

Thesaurus: 500ml, lemon from ARGOLIDA.

Olive oil with Mandarin.

The report of the Greek olive oil team by Claire Comninelli, Chrusanthi Kalloniati, Michalis Vassios.

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The results of the questionnaire

In General 1. Is this your first time you taste extra virgin olive oil?
Is this your first time you taste extra virgin olive oil?

12 10 8 6 4 2 0 2 Yes No 11

2. In what way do you use the extra virgin olive oil?

Ways of using extra virgin olive oil
(More than 1 answer for each person)

Cooking Salad
9 11

Pasta With bread and Feta For everything

3. How many ml do you consume every month?

(Only 10/13 people answered this question)

All answers
500 ml 500 ml 4000 ml 150 ml 5/12

The report of the Greek olive oil team by Claire Comninelli, Chrusanthi Kalloniati, Michalis Vassios.

734 ml 500 ml

750 ml 1000 ml

1000 ml

500 ml

The average is 963 ml. 4. Do you prefer a specific product (brand name)?
Do you prefer a specific brand name?

12 10 8 6 4 2 0 2 Yes No 11

5. Do you take into account the home country of the olive oil?

Do you take into account the home country of the olive oil?

10 8 6 4 2 0 2 Yes No 2 No answer 9

6. Which size of bottle do you believe that is the most suitable? Less than 250ml 250 ml 500ml More than 500ml The number of answers for each category 0 2 8 3

The report of the Greek olive oil team by Claire Comninelli, Chrusanthi Kalloniati, Michalis Vassios.

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Best size of the olive oil's bottle

0% 23% 15% Less than 250 ml 250 ml 500 ml More than 500 ml

62%

7. The external features of the bottle play any role to your choice?
The external features of the bottle play any role to your choise?

No 5 or 38% Yes 8 or 62%

Yes

No

8. Do you believe that the price has to do with the quality of the olive oil? Yes No 8 5

9. How much money can you afford for an olive oil of great quality?
(In euro/ litre)

15 15 15

10 10 No limit

20 10 No limit

15 12,5 Dont know

The average (we used only the specific answers) is 13,6

euro/litre.
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The report of the Greek olive oil team by Claire Comninelli, Chrusanthi Kalloniati, Michalis Vassios.

About the taste 1. Which extra virgin olive oil was the most tasteful?
Which extra virgin olive oil was the most tasteful?
Sparta: 500ml , sundried tomato, garlic, oregano, rosemary ,iviskos from SPARTI. Lyrakis: 500ml , garlic ,sinapi , onion , oregano, pepper , rosemary , thyme , from LASITHI.

0%

23%

0%

Gaea: 250ml , wild oregano from AIGIO. Gaea: 250ml , garlic , rosemary from AIGIO.

23%
Fiordiamante: 250ml , white truffle ,arom a from ITALY.

23% 8% 23%

Thesaurus: 500ml , lemon from ARGOLIDA. Olive oil with Mandarin

2. Which extra virgin olive oil had the most unexpected taste?
Which extra virgin olive oil had the most unexpected taste?

Sparta: 500ml , sundried tomato, garlic, oregano, rosemary ,iviskos from SPARTI. Lyrakis: 500ml , garlic ,sinapi , onion , oregano, pepper , rosemary , thyme , from LASITHI.

0% 15% 0% 62% 0%

Gaea: 250ml , wild oregano from AIGIO. Gaea: 250ml , garlic , rosemary from AIGIO. Fiordiamante: 250ml , white truffle ,arom a from ITALY. Thesaurus: 500ml , lemon from ARGOLIDA.

23% 0%
Olive oil with Mandarin

The report of the Greek olive oil team by Claire Comninelli, Chrusanthi Kalloniati, Michalis Vassios.

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3. Which extra virgin olive oil has the most attractive bottle?

Which extra virgin olive oil has the most attractive bottle?

Sparta: 500ml , sundried tomato, garlic, oregano, rosemary ,iviskos from SPARTI. Lyrakis: 500ml , garlic ,sinapi , onion , oregano, pepper , rosemary , thyme , from LASITHI. Gaea: 250ml , wild oregano from AIGIO. Gaea: 250ml , garlic , rosem ary from AIGIO.

23%

23%

39%

Fiordiamante: 250ml , white truffle ,arom a from ITALY. Thesaurus: 500ml , lemon from ARGOLIDA.

15%

0% 0% 0%
Olive oil with Mandarin.

4. Which extra virgin olive oil do you believe that is the most expensive?

Which extra virgin olive oil do you believe is the most expensive? 0%

Sparta: 500ml , sundried tomato, garlic, oregano, rosemary ,iviskos from SPARTI. Lyrakis: 500ml , garlic ,sinapi , onion , oregano, pepper , rosemary , thyme , from LASITHI. Gaea: 250ml , wild oregano from AIGIO. Gaea: 250ml , garlic , rosemary from AIGIO. Fiordiamante: 250ml , white truffle ,aroma from ITALY. Thesaurus: 500ml , lemon from ARGOLIDA.

8%

8%

0% 0% 0%

84%

Olive oil with Mandarin.

The report of the Greek olive oil team by Claire Comninelli, Chrusanthi Kalloniati, Michalis Vassios.

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5.

Which extra virgin olive oil do you believe that is better quality? (12/13 answered)

Which extra virgin olive oil do you believe that is better quality?

Sparta: 500m l , sundried tomato, garlic, oregano, rosemary ,iviskos from SPARTI. Lyrakis: 500ml , garlic ,sinapi , onion , oregano, pepper , rosemary , thyme , from LASITHI.

0%

17%

Gaea: 250ml , wild oregano from AIGIO. Gaea: 250ml , garlic , ros emary from AIGIO.

50%

8%

Fiordiamante: 250ml , white truffle ,aroma from ITALY. Thesaurus: 500ml , lemon from ARGOLIDA.

17% 8%

0%

Olive oil with Mandarin

6. Which extra virgin olive oil would you buy? Why? (More than one answer)

Which extra virgin olive oil would you buy?

Sparta: 500ml , sundried tomato, garlic, oregano, rosemary ,iviskos from SPARTI. Lyrakis: 500ml , garlic ,sinapi , onion , oregano, pepper , rosemary , thyme , from LASITHI.

27%

Gaea: 250ml , wild oregano from AIGIO. Gaea: 250ml , garlic , rosem ary from AIGIO. Fiordiamante: 250ml , white truffle ,arom a from ITALY.

13%

27%

7% 0% 7% 20%

Thesaurus: 500ml , lemon from ARGOLIDA. Olive oil with Mandarin

The report of the Greek olive oil team by Claire Comninelli, Chrusanthi Kalloniati, Michalis Vassios.

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7. Which extra virgin olive oil you would not buy for sure? Why? (More than one answer)

Which extra virgin olive oil you would not buy for sure?

Sparta: 500ml , sundried tomato, garlic, oregano, rosemary ,iviskos from SPARTI. Lyrakis: 500ml , garlic ,sinapi , onion , oregano, pepper , rosemary , thyme , from LASITHI.

13%

7% 7%

Gaea: 250ml , wild oregano from AIGIO. Gaea: 250ml , garlic , rosemary from AIGIO. Fiordiamante: 250ml , white truffle ,arom a from ITALY. Thesaurus: 500ml , lemon from ARGOLIDA.

33%

20%

13%

7%

Olive oil with Mandarin

The report of the Greek olive oil team by Claire Comninelli, Chrusanthi Kalloniati, Michalis Vassios.

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Some points for analysis

1. A new bottle should be used. The price of our olive oil is high enough in order to finance better packing. The results of our questionnaire show that customers prefer a see through bottle. Also we need a package that will looks like a wines one. A good idea is to put our olive oil bottle in a small wooden boxtrunk. Something like a special and limiter offer (a more luxurious one). The result will be the customer to keep the box-trunk, after consuming the olive oil, and use it in the decoration of his kitchen. (See the results of question 3, page 8) 2. Each bottle should have a leaflet (or a small book, 8cm x 5cm, 6-7 pages) with the story of thesaurus olive oil and with some recipes. Maybe there are some people (specially in the US) who do not know how and where to use an olive oil with lemon. 3. The results of the questionnaire show that customers can recognise the quality of our olive oil olive. On the other hand our quality does not excuse the price of our product! All who taste the olive oil and then answer the questions said that thesaurus is a product of high quality, but they did not expect to be so expensive! Furthermore only the 13% of the testers would bye Thesaurus for sure! (See the results of questions 4 at page 8, 5 at page 9 and 6 at page 9) 4. The average price, that Greek customers can afford, is 13,6 euro/litre. Of course the price of our olive oil is much higher. (See the results of question 9 at page 6)

The report of the Greek olive oil team by Claire Comninelli, Chrusanthi Kalloniati, Michalis Vassios.

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