Photos: To Vima, www.fytokomia.gr
Economou stresses that there is a serious difference between the production and export of olive oil in Italy. Therefore, the country has to buy in bulk from Greece. "Why we, as a country, have not been able for years to organize and draw up a common strategy of mass branding of the product in order to have greater added value, is another matter. It is not easy to create a brand - free resources are required as well as permissions and a marketing strategy. I can say with certainty that a Greek olive tree hides behind many bottles of Italian olive oil."
The specialist states that the efforts are now directed towards increasing the amount of branded goods from Greece to the world, including the Olive Oil World programme. The higher price of the olive oil produced in Greece is another challenge that the Greek entrepreneurs must overcome with better planned marketing strategies. The olive oil originating from Morocco, Spain, Italy and Tunisia is cheaper mainly because of the geographical specifics of the lands. Olive trees in Greece grow mainly in submontane areas rather than in large valleys, as in Spain, for example. Olives in Greece are picked by hand not with machines as in competing producing countries. This has its advantages, such as the fact that smaller quantities of olives are not stored for a long time and go to the production facilities faster, giving a better quality final product, which inevitably affects the price.