Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://specialtyfoodmagazine.epubxp.com/i/328566
The Inception… Five years ago, Karoyan, a foreign currency trader, was diagnosed with elevated cholesterol. When his doctor recommended statins, he felt there should be a more natural route that could lower it. Taking a closer look at his family history, he recalled something that had worked for his father. "I remember my grandmother would always tell my dad, 'Take two tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil and you will be fine.' Even Dr. Oz at the time was talking up the benefits of olive oil—so I decided to give it a try," says Karoyan. After a few months of the strict regimen of a shot glass of extra-virgin olive oil a day, Karoyan was able to bring his choles- terol down to safer levels. More than intrigued by his findings, he began doing research on the health benefits of olive oil. He met with authors such as Carol Firenze, who wrote The Passionate Olive, and Cal Orey of The Healing Powers of Olive Oil fame, and discovered that people have been using extra-virgin olive oil for centuries for their health. He soon began to coordinate his international business trips with trips to olive farms that were in the vicinity of his work. "I was able to talk to the farmers and see firsthand how their olives were crushed and if they had crushers on-site—which I eventually learned would make for better oil. And I got to bring home some of the best oils for myself and for my family," he says. When friends started asking him to bring back oils from his travels, Karoyan saw a bigger picture. "It made sense to me to make a business out of this, so more people than just me could enjoy it," he says. The Stores… The first Olive Branch & Grape Vine opened two years ago in Westwood, N.J.: a 300-square-foot store with a small selection of specialty products, extra-virgin olive oils, and balsamic vinegars (both traditional and flavored) that customers could taste by way of a fusti, a stainless steel vessel with a spigot—Karoyan's preferred method of tasting that he says gets customers involved in the experience. They can then purchase favorites in 60-, 200-, or 375-milliliter bottles. "I knew I loved olive oil but was not sure how well a store cen- tered [on] it would be received, so we started small. The Westwood store is our 'gourmet bodega,' similar to little grocers in Europe that are packed with quality products." After almost a year in business, Karoyan longed for a bigger space to house more health-centric oils, like avocado and coconut, and specialty products such as cheeses and salami. To give some cus- tomers a more convenient location, he opted for a space in Ramsey, west of Route 17. (The Westwood store lies east of the highway, which splits Bergen County.) Situated on Main Street, a promenade area that hosts an array of businesses such as coffee shops, specialty delis, pizza places, hair salons, and a bike shop, the store opened in March of last year. The business gets by on word-of-mouth advertising. Karoyan is visible at farmers markets, is involved in charity events, and works on consignment at a high-traffic pizza restaurant in Fort Lee, about 20 miles south of Ramsey. His customers are mainly locals who come in not only for the tasting experience but also for recommen- dations for specific uses and food pairings. The small cheese and charcuterie case is new to the Ramsey location; Karoyan visits every farm from where he sources olive oils and vinegars. SUMMER 2014 143 storeSnapshot_oliveBranch.indd 143 6/4/14 3:00 PM