08 May

SOS Cuetara declines comment on interest in Unilever’s olive oil Bertolli

SOS Cuetara SA. declined to comment on its possible interest in acquiring international food manufacturer Unilever Plc.’s Italian olive oil brand Bertolli, as reported in Italy’s daily Il Sole 24 Ore. The newspaper also flagged Nutrinvest of Portugal as a possible buyer. SOS bought the Friol Italia oil brand from Unilever for 33.25 million euros […]

08 May

Unilever mulls €600m sale of Bertolli olive oil

By Robin Pagnamenta, Unilever, the maker of Marmite and Magnum ice cream, confirmed today that it was considering the sale of its Bertolli olive oil business as it reported a 7.2 per cent rise in first quarter sales. The Anglo-Dutch company, the world’s third largest maker of consumer goods, said it was considering a range […]

04 Apr

Indian Olive Association welcomes duty reduction

The Indian Olive Association has welcomed the sharp reduction in import duties on the product, saying it would bring down prices by 15 percent and make the product available to a larger number of consumers. “We are gratified that the importance of olive oil is being recognised and that our efforts are bearing fruit soon […]

27 Mar

IOTEX 2008 brings world olive producers to Jordan

Olive traders from 12 countries flocked to the recently concluded International Olive Products and Technology Exhibition and Forum (IOTEX 2008) at the Amman Motor Show to develop a cooperative spirit, exchange expertise and put the international olive industry on a higher pedestal. Around 100 merchants from Jordan, Palestine, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Italy, Greece, France Turkey, […]

05 Mar

Italian police crack down on olive oil fraud

By Malcolm Moore, Police in Italy have arrested 23 people and confiscated 85 farms in an operation that has exposed the scale of the country’s fraudulent olive oil trade. More than 400 officers took part in Operation Golden Oil after an investigation discovered as many as 91 people may have been involved in passing off […]