April 1, 2025 – After highlighting the evocative power of smell during its first year, the Ecceamerica project kicks off its second year of activities by placing taste at the center of the sensory experience.

The initiative continues in the United States and Canada with a clear objective: to guide consumers, industry professionals, restaurateurs, and distributors in discovering the excellence of European organic extra virgin olive oil and wine, highlighting their organoleptic characteristics and the value of organic certification.

Promoted by Unaprol – Consorzio Olivicolo Italiano and the Confederação dos Agricultores de Portugal (CAP), and co-financed by the European Union under Regulation (EU) 1144/2014, Ecceamerica aims to strengthen the competitiveness of European agricultural products in North American markets by highlighting quality, sustainability, and authenticity.

Taste as a conscious experience

While the first year celebrated the aroma of oil and wine—the first contact capable of foreshadowing their personality—the second year invites us to focus on the decisive moment of tasting.

Taste becomes a tool for knowledge and informed choice. Every sip of European organic wine and every taste of European organic extra virgin olive oil reveals nuances that tell the story of territories, cultivars, grape varieties, climate, and production traditions reinterpreted in a contemporary key.

Bitter, spicy, and fruity for the oil; freshness, structure, and persistence for the wine: distinctive elements that help consumers recognize quality and pair it correctly. Understanding the organoleptic profile means transforming every meal into a richer, more informed gastronomic experience.

The project also reinforces a fundamental message: Extra Virgin Olive Oil is not merely a condiment, but an ingredient that defines identity, just like wine. Just as one chooses a wine to accompany a course, one can select a delicate oil for light dishes and fresh vegetables, or an oil with a more intense character to enhance meats, hearty soups, or aged cheeses.

This consolidates a true culture of pairing, capable of enriching both the dining experience and the home cooking of U.S. and Canadian consumers.

Activities for the second year

During the second year, Ecceamerica will develop an integrated program of initiatives aimed at consolidating the perception of taste as a distinctive element of European organic products.

Planned activities include:

• Guided tasting sessions at selected restaurants and strategic locations in the United States and Canada, with a focus on pairings and in-depth discussions dedicated exclusively to organic extra virgin olive oil.
• Promotional activities at retail locations, featuring tasting sessions and informational materials on the organoleptic characteristics of the products and the value of European organic certification.
• Seminars and masterclasses for hospitality professionals, hospitality school students, and industry operators to explore tasting techniques, quality criteria, and the culture of food pairing.
• Digital communication campaigns via the web and social media, featuring educational content, tasting videos, recipes, and storytelling dedicated to taste as a multisensory experience.
• Thematic events on sustainability, highlighting the link between organoleptic quality, environmental respect, and responsible agricultural practices.

This integrated approach—combining on-the-ground activities with digital tools—aims to engage an audience increasingly focused on healthy eating and certified quality, reinforcing the perception of the European Organic label as a guarantee of excellence.

A path looking toward the future

As it enters its second year, Ecceamerica continues its journey with a renewed sense of purpose: educating about taste means building culture.

Having learned to recognize aromas, North American consumers are now invited to take a further step: to savor, understand, and choose.

The sensory journey will be completed in the third year with a further creative evolution, shaping a coherent narrative of European organic excellence that unites smell, taste, and sight.

Ecceamerica is not merely a promotional program, but an invitation to discover the authentic value of quality: where every taste becomes an experience, a memory, and a part of culture.

For further information and updates on the project’s activities, visit the website https://ecceamerica.eu/ and the Facebook and Instagram social media profiles.