Eryn Balch

North American Olive Oil Association

Eryn Balch joined the North American Olive Oil Association (NAOOA) as Executive Vice President in January 2012. Formed in 1989 and headquartered in Neptune, NJ, the NAOOA advocates for global olive oil standards enforcement and fair competitive trade, as the U.S. is the largest importer of olive oil in the world. Other key activities include buyer, dietitian and consumer education and efforts to increase olive oil consumption in North America.

Eryn has participated in a wide range of extra virgin olive oil tasting courses, and has achieved the level of Associate Savante in the Extra Virgin Olive Oil Savantes program. In 2015 the NAOOA worked with International Extra Virgin Olive Oil Savantes to launch the Olive Oil Conference, an annual event focused on communicating the benefits and value of olive oils in the USA and Canada.

Prior to working for the NAOOA, Eryn spent five years with Sovena USA, one of the largest importers of olive oil in the United States. At Sovena, she worked on sales and marketing of a full range of olive oil products in both the retail and foodservice sectors, and participated on the company’s in-house tasting panel.

She holds a Master’s in Business Administration from Syracuse University, and a B.S. in Public Relations & Journalism. She resides with her family in central New York.