The Olive Orchard Brings Artisanal Olive Oil to Columbus

Most people think of Italy when they think of olive oil. But did you know that most of the olive oil you purchase at the grocery store is made by olives grown in Spain and then shipped to Italy to be processed? That's why the bottle you buy says "Product of Italy" and makes you think that it is a true, Italian olive oil - which means that it must be good quality, right?

A new company in Columbus is importing single-origin olive oils where the olives were grown, harvested and pressed by the individual grower. Turns out, high quality olive oil isn't just an Italian thing... several countries grow high quality olives and make artisanal oils.

Michele Mooney is the Chief Sales & Marketing Officer of the Columbus-based extra virgin olive oil importer The Olive Orchard. She stopped by Two Caterers last month to give us a taste of some of the freshest olive oil in Columbus!

The Olive Orchard's Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) comes from six growers from around the world. We tasted EVOO from Greece, Sicily, Chile, South Africa and Turkey. One of The Olive Orchard's goals is to be transparent about their growers, even listing the olive estates and families on their website.

We were struck by the different intensities of the oils from different regions; everyone agreed that the Sicilian EVOO presented the most intense flavor. The flavored EVOOs from Turkey were a hit – our imaginations went wild when thinking of all the recipe possibilities and flavor combinations! Basil, thyme, lemon, orange, garlic and hot red pepper are available together in convenient tasting sizes for a very good price.

We are thinking about creating a couple of recipes that feature the use of The Olive Orchard's EVOOs. It shouldn't be hard; the possibilities are endless! In fact, The Olive Orchard has a nice blog on their website that has tons of delicious recipes. Or you can experiment and follow your heart.

The Olive Orchard products are available through their website and local gourmet stores.