A little background on me. I like to dream of travel, plan travel, experience the art of travel and write about travel. It almost consumes me – this vision of meeting new people, tasting new food, visiting an ancient site, listening to the whispers of old limestone walls, re-living in my mind, what it was like to live there so long ago. The Virtuous Olive is a culmination of my love for food, history and travel. Here’s why.
Olive oil is my passion. Food is my passion. 25 years of my life have been dedicated to the culinary industry. I am a formally trained chef, cooking instructor, food writer and world traveler. The choice to promote olive oil was simple. On a recent trip to southern Italy, I had the opportunity to visit the Galantino olive mill, tour the facility and taste the oil with professionals. At that moment, I understood the nuances of what truly well made olive oil should taste like. The fruit and herbal oils particularly interested me with their endless opportunities in recipes. Appealing to my gardening side was the fact that the fruits and herbs for the flavors are locally grown and crushed with the olives, not infused later, creating an authentic, fresh taste. I started studying olive oil and was disappointed to learn that 80% of the olive oil on the market is not true olive oil but a blend of canola, hazelnut and other oils that have been refined, losing the health benefits of what should be a pure product. This alone was enough for me to look into starting an import business to bring a 100% extra virgin olive oil, from Galantino, a company I trusted, to the United States.
My vision for the future includes searching for products the world over and hand selecting those, which represent an artistic and unique approach to their creation.
My Mission Statement
The Virtuous Olive is a company with culinary expertise and a vision to share outstanding, unique products by importing them to the United States. Every year on my travels, I discover artisan products of the region I am visiting. Whether it is olive oil, dried herbs, balsamic vinegar or chocolate, I am inspired by the artist’s dedication to quality and their personal stories behind their creations. By importing these products to the United States, I am promoting art, connecting the world and providing my customers a taste of a place they might only be dreaming of.
Mary
mary@thevirtuousolive.com
www.forfoodforlovefrommary.com
Facebook
Twitter
GooglePlus