The Slow Food Mediterranean Programme for 2019 in Malta and Italy

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In 2019 Slow Food Mediterranean will be working with members of Slow Food groups both in Malta, Italy and the UK also for the first time with Slow Food groups from Greece and northern Europe, this will be as part of our joint project with the specialist olive oil company Olivaverde to promote the use of sail cargo across Europe.

Sail cargo is the environmentally friendly and sustainable way to move ethically produced food and drink between countries and regions, Slow Food Anglia are currently involved in plans to ship small amounts of cargo around the north sea coast in the UK but together with interested groups from the Mediterranean it is hoped to move cargo both from the UK to Malta and Italy and also from the Mediterranean back to the UK, Holland, Germany and other northern European countries.

Currently the Sail Cargo Alliance is involved with moving cargo from various countries, one group has moved a cargo of olive oil and salt from Portugal to the UK, another group moves cargo's across the Atlantic, typically rum and wine, and we hope to be working with them to set up a dedicated route to and from the Mediterranean in 2020, this will include several cargo's from our Slow Food members and other small artisan producers in Malta, Italy, Sicily and Greece. We are also in talks with olive oil and date producers in Tunisia and Algeria to scope out the possibility of moving their fine artisan products by sail to the UK and Holland, with other northern European destinations being considered as the viability of the project to include more countries unfolds over the next two years.

Slow Food Mediterranean is very excited to be working on setting up much closer links with other Slow Food groups and members across the Mediterranean region, but also with Slow Food groups from northern European countries also becoming involved in the sail cargo project as it grows in importance and size over the coming years.

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Slow Food Mediterranean also works closely with the new Mediterranean olive oil academy which is based in Malta to have olive oil producers in the Mediterranean region who are also members of Slow Food take part in olive oil tours and classes in Malta, the east of Italy and Sicily.  We are pleased that several Slow Food members who are oil producers now help us with lectures and talks with both professional producers and to also tours with members of the general public who are interested in learning more about olive propagation and olive oil production.

The Mediterranean olive oil academy has several excellent venues where it holds classes and tours and over the coming years it is hoped that more small artisan olive oil producers who are also Slow Food members will join and take part in this exciting project to promote the great extra viirgin olive oils that are produced in the Mediterranean region.

The Mediterranean olive oil academy is working with Maltese olive oil producers to promote the indigenous Maltese olive variety both in Malta and outside of the Island and with our extensive range of Slow Food members and supporters throughout Europe we will be helping raise the profile of this fantastic rare olive variety.

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We were very pleased to have been invited to help take part in a important project on the Maltese Black bee with the Breeds of Origin NGO in Malta, we are currently helping them obtain Presidia status with Slow Food International for the Maltese Black bee.

 

 

 

  The Slow Food Mediterranean Programme for 2018 in Malta and Italy

 

 

Slow Food Mediterranean is in the process of putting together plans for another Slow Food Mediterranean festival on the Island of Malta, the festival will be held in Valletta at one of the many beautiful gardens and near Golden Bay in the north west of the Island. The final setting for the first festival this year will be decided after further talks with several interested parties early in the year with a final decision put to a vote of our members in late 2018.

The festival will allow Slow Food Mediterranean to introduce artisan producers of olive oil and other typical Mediterranean produce from across the area to a wider public in Malta, it will also allow us to network with ethical food businesses from both Malta and other countries interested in artisan produced foods. Several Italian and Greek olive extra virgin oil producers are committed to taking part as well as several artisan producers of honey, mead, beer, salt and smoked meats from Malta and Sicily. We are pleased to now be involved with the Maltese NGO, Breeds of Origin as well as groups in the Marche region in Italy which promote small local food and olive oil producers and we continue to grow these links year on year.

Slow Food Mediterranean will be working on this exciting project with the Mediterranean Olive Oil Academy the new olive oil school which is now based in Malta and we are also very pleased to also be involved with their fantastic work with local Maltese artisan olive oil producers. The Academy will be holding tours and lectures in Malta in the winter of 2018 and Slow Food Mediterranean members and food producers will be taking part in classes which will include olive oil tasting and appreciation, the propagation of olive trees and the production of fine olive oils both blended and single variety extra virgin olive oils and several of our Slow Food members from Italy and Sicily will also be specialist guest speakers and lecturers.

Slow Food Mediterranean members and supporters will be also working closely with artisan food and drink producers together with Slow Food groups from other parts of the Mediterranean region, we will be building closer links with these groups throughout 2018, in 2019 and in future years through joint projects and events.