Gianfranco Vargas Flores is the founder of SUDOLIVA, an initiative created to protect and safeguard the olive culture and centennial olive trees in America. He works with small farmers and olive oil producers in Peru, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and the United States, providing comprehensive advice on production and branding of their oils, as well as working on the conservation of their heritage olive trees.He studied Business Administration at Alas Peruanas University in Lima. He also worked as a Researcher for 5 years at the Research Institute of the Professional School of Tourism and Hospitality of the University of San Martín de Porres in Lima. Additionally, he is in charge of prospecting America's monumental Olive trees for dating in collaboration with the Dasometry Laboratory of the Polytechnic University of Madrid.In terms of sensory analysis, Vargas was certified in "Extra Virgin Olive Oil Tasting" by the Spanish School of Tasting in Madrid and the Viticulture and Enology Research Center of the National Agrarian University La Molina in Lima. He also received training in sensory analysis from the Olive Center at the University of California Davis, completing the "Introduction to Sensory Evaluation Olive Course Certificate" course. He has been and is a judging taster in international olive oil competitions such as SUDOLIVA, Brazil IOOC, and Olive Istanbul IOOC. Currently, he is an educator and olive oil researcher at Le Cordon Bleu Institute.Regarding olive oil production, Vargas Flores studied the Postgraduate course in Italian and French: "From the Olive to Olive Oil" at the Catholic University of Cuyo in San Juan (Argentina) in 2013, and he is certified as a Master Miller by the University of California Davis: Olive Center. He also completed his internship as a field and quality assistant for the aforementioned Olive Center during the olive oil production for the 2021 harvest at The Wolfskill Experimental Orchards of UC Davis.