Romancing the Olive

 

It was a wine tasting tour. So when Chip and Crystal Reibel were offered a taste of California olive oil, they were puzzled. To them, one bottle of olive oil tasted pretty much like any other. But that first sip just floored them both. So THIS was how good olive oil was supposed to taste. It was the beginning of a love affair—a romance with the olive. The romance gave birth, fittingly enough, to Beyond the Olive, a gourmet store in Old Pasadena, offering vinegars and oils from olive orchards in California.

Chip speaks with passion and eloquence. “We do not import any of our oils. We prefer to support the local economy so we buy and sell only California olive oil. We have about 60 suppliers and I’ve met every single one face to face, and actually visited the farms of about half that number.  We know exactly what we’re getting and we make sure that our olive oil is always fresh and good.”

Freshness is everything. To make extra-virgin olive oil, or EVOO, this prized liquid gold, olives have to be handled correctly, harvested quickly and pressed hours after harvest.

So Crystal and Chip followed their hearts and taste buds, moving from Michigan to settle down Southern California. The store is a “night job” for Chip who still works for a Fortune 500 company; managing the store falls mainly on Crystal’s shoulders. The couple says the local demographics—particularly the large number of foodies and tourists—made Old Pasadena a fantastic choice of location for them.  They opened the doors of Beyond the Olive last September.

Beyond the Olive now offers over a hundred gourmet oils and vinegars. The olive oil and vinegars are stored in bulk in large steel containers called “fustis” that protect them from being damaged by air, light, and heat. There is a tasting bar where samples are available for visitors and anybody can taste what they want but buy only what they like.  You get the oil or vinegar of your choice in refillable bottles. This system, the couple says, cuts down on costs while maintaining the high quality of their products.

You meet the most interesting people in the store.  Drop in and you can sample fresh bread sprinkled with olive oil and vinegar with groups of college students, or chat with a little old lady who loves olive oil and prefers not to eat alone, or swap stories and recipes with chefs out to buy only the best. Visiting the store is an education in itself.  Crystal gives visitors briefings on the history, qualities and health benefits of olive oil. In the not too distant future, the Reibels plan to organize classes on cooking with olive oil, and expand their product lines to include a limited number of wines produced by a few of their olive oil suppliers. Bread, olive oil and wine.  What more can one want?

At present California produces only one percent of the 70 million gallons of oil that the US market consumes. It is literally a drop of oil in that bucket. It is not a question of quality, because as Crystal explains and olive oil experts agree, “the quality is definitely there.” Good California olive oil can beat the imported overpriced and inferior olive oils that occupy many shelves in supermarkets nationwide. The industry will require thousands of hectares more of olive orchards to meet future demand for good domestic olive oil.

In the 70s, food experts could not believe that California wines could beat their French counterparts. Now California wine makers are major players in the global wine industry. A repeat of that victory, this time for California olive oil, is not that far off. Chip and Crystal are patiently waiting and working towards that acme, that climax in their romance with the olive.

Beyond the Olive, 10 N. Raymond Ave., Pasadena (626) 844-3866. Open: Tuesday – Thursday and Sunday, 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. and Friday and Saturday, 11:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m., they are closed on Monday. www.beyondtheolive.com.