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<pre>Dear George,

There is not much to add to your comments regarding standardization of olive
oil with introduction of new extraction methods and centrifuge systems. It
is really unfortunate for North European and North American consumers who do
not have much chance to taste 'real' stone grined & pressed olive oil due to
hegemony of pioneers in these markets. Olive oil is such a delicate food
which by no means, should be confined to a standard taste by extraction
methods for the mass market.

I cannot blame neither those distributors nor the 'innocent' consumers
though! The needs for catering the big demands and the efficiency of the
extraction technology have matched easily to shape the market recognizing
only standard taste of extracted and centrifuged olive oil.

Even in my country where olive oil has been being produced for more than six
thousand years, many people in big cities do not know the taste of
traditionally produced olive oil. It is simply not because of their
ignorance but just beacuse of not having any chance to be offered such a
product within the last 30 years or so. However, whenever, they visit a
small town and eat local dishes cooked with olive oil in the Agean or
Mediterranean regions, they exaggerate appreciating their tastes.

As I have expressed before, if we, as producers, believe that the
traditionally pressed olive oil must continue to exist for the sake of its
superior taste and pure content then it is our mission to enlight consumers
about this 'secluded treasury' and do our best to penetrate into the
pre-occupied markets with our specific labels.

Regards

Haluk of Adatepe

http://www.adatepe.com
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