I would say my background is pretty typical of a yeshivah guy, and I certainly was more of sports buff than a foodie as a kid. However, I always appreciated high-quality food, and I definitely enjoyed being so close to the kosher restaurant scene. As kosher restaurants became more gourmet and switched from flavored margarine to olive oil, I definitely took note.
I was looking for a business to do on my own that I would enjoy and find fulfilling. I had experience in marketing, online sales, and importing, so it made sense to use these skills for any new venture. Olive oil was a great area to focus on because there weren’t many high-quality olive oils in the kosher market. It was also a product I felt I could get 100 percent behind because not only does it taste delicious, it’s also extremely healthy.
Definitely was a steep learning curve! But olive oil is quite fascinating, so I enjoyed that learning experience. I became certified as an olive oil sommelier, which really helped me to understand the industry and build my business with high-quality products.
Baruch Hashem, at the time that I started my business there really weren’t any quality extra-virgin olive oils on the kosher market. Since then, there definitely has been some competition, but I view that as an opportunity to educate kosher consumers about the differences and advantages of high-quality, extra-virgin olive oil.
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