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.
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"My clients are already thinking about things like buying organic, and wild-caught fish instead of farmed," Karoyan says. "[Healthy oils] fit into that category." As far as tasting oils and vinegar from the fusti, Karoyan says it's not as familiar in the Northeast but is catching on. "It is important for the customer to taste something before they buy it," he says. "The worst thing in the world is to buy something, then go home and find out you are disappointed with it." When a customer tries something, he adds, they are more likely to go home to a friend or family member and talk about their experience—a good way to generate excitement around a product and subtle way to get new customers into the store. Karoyan also does tasting and education events through- out the year with a chef and nutritionist to help customers make a connection with different oils and vinegars and learn when and how to use them. With shoppers today being increas- ingly curious about ingredients and nutrition, Karoyan says tastings simply make sense. "If you are that much invested, you may as well try it," he asserts. "I think food retail is becom- ing more like the fashion industry—you try on a pair of pants before you buy them, why not taste some EVOO before you purchase?" Future Plans… Though he still has his day job during the week, Karoyan is in the store every weekend and relies on family members during the week to nurture the business. He has plans for growing his footprint to five stores, with a third location already in mind and a future Manhattan store also a possibility. Karoyan aspires to the Eataly market concept while avoiding becoming commercialized or losing the connection with his ven- dors and clients. "I'm not inventing anything new with my concept, I'm just giving people a re-introduction and an education," he says. "It is time-consuming, but you have to have a connection and an experience first when you shop … especially with food." The Products… To say Karoyan hand-selects all his products is a bit of an understatement. He has visited every farm from where he sources his oils and vinegars. He also has built relationships with all of his food vendors—most of whom he meets at the Fancy Food Shows. His extra-virgin olive oils hail from Greece, Italy, Morocco, Peru, and Spain, as well as California, and come in popular flavors such as blood orange, Meyer lemon, basil, roasted garlic, and Italian herb. Favorite traditional extra-virgin olive oils include organic picual from Spain and a mild moresca from Sicily. "All our infusions are naturally crushed with our oils," says Karoyan. "It makes for a better marriage of f lavors and gives the customer a fun way to experience olive oil while adding f lavor to a dish." Karoyan's balsamics range from a traditional 18-year aged to the popular fig-infused. Alternative oils, such as Californian avo- cado and coconut from the Philippines, round out the mix. Karoyan touts a variety of specialty products on his shelves. Harvest Song preserves, Lotus Foods rice, Le Palais Des Thes teas, Morelli pasta, and Divina olives are among them, as well as a line of private-label spices and seasonings. Unlike his store in Westwood, the Ramsey location has a small cheese and charcuterie case with a variety of Yancey's Fancy cheese and Olli salami. Beauty items like creams and soaps are also available—most made from olive or avocado oils. The Formula… Karoyan says his rule for a successful concept includes atmosphere—he wants his stores to feel like an ideal kitchen pantry with a curated but thorough selection of products and ingre- dients—education, interaction, and a mindful customer. "For something like this to work, the clientele must be health- conscious and not so much price-conscious," says Karoyan. Still, he notes, his margins for oil and vinegar are not as high as traditional supermarkets because he wants to establish a brand with reasonable pricing. (He charges $16.95 for 375 milliliters, $13.95 for 200 mil- liliters, and $5 for 60 milliliters for all traditional and f lavored olive oils and for aged balsamics.) Olive Branch even offers a loyalty bottle program: buy 10 bottles, get one free. Nicole Potenza Denis is a contributing editor to Specialty Food Magazine. The store carries a small but varied selection of specialty products, from teas to condiments. 144 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com storeSnapshot_oliveBranch.indd 144 6/4/14 3:00 PM