Mas Des Bories Olive Oil- Top Award L.A. Cnty Fair

[Bird]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( My wife and I use olive oil frequently for dipping and cooking. )</font>

We don't just use it "frequently"; we've been using olive oil almost exclusively for the past 13 years. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif But of course not knowing much about it, we just buy the big jugs at Sam's Club.

 

[Bird]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( My wife and I use olive oil frequently for dipping and cooking. )</font>

We don't just use it "frequently"; we've been using olive oil almost exclusively for the past 13 years. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif But of course not knowing much about it, we just buy the big jugs at Sam's Club.

 

[gsganzer]

I'm with Bird. I think we've just about replaced all our uses for vegetable oil, with olive oil. I hope it's as healthy as they say.

I can sit down with a bottle of wine, a loaf of craft bread and some olive oil and just about finish off the entire loaf of bread (OK, maybe the wine too /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif). I put some olive oil in a small dish and grind some garlic pepper seasoning onto it for dipping the bread. mmmm, mmmm

 

[gsganzer]

I'm with Bird. I think we've just about replaced all our uses for vegetable oil, with olive oil. I hope it's as healthy as they say.

I can sit down with a bottle of wine, a loaf of craft bread and some olive oil and just about finish off the entire loaf of bread (OK, maybe the wine too /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif). I put some olive oil in a small dish and grind some garlic pepper seasoning onto it for dipping the bread. mmmm, mmmm

 

[ronjhall]

For those of you that did not see Rox's thread on Olive Farming. Here is a link to it. Olive Farm in Provence France Photos Great reading. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[ronjhall]

For those of you that did not see Rox's thread on Olive Farming. Here is a link to it. Olive Farm in Provence France Photos Great reading. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[Bird]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( hope it's as healthy as they say )</font>

Me, too, but as with a lot of things, we changed for the wrong reason; healthy wasn't it. When I was doing gas leakage surveys, I had a job to do in Duncan, AZ, and if you've never been to Duncan, AZ, you don't know what you've missed. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif There was only one "RV park" if you could call it that; grown up in grass and weeds, an old 20' travel trailer with 2 washers and one dryer that was the only laundromat in town, only 3 or 4 RVs there, and was owned by the owner of the bar across the street, but at least it had water, electric, and sewer hookups. There was an 80 year old woman living there alone in an old travel trailer who spent most of her time across the street in the bar sipping beer. (I met some of the most interesting characters of all our travels in Duncan). One night she brought me a whole catfish she had fried. It was a pretty big one; most people probably would have considered it to be too big to fry whole. But I can tell you that was the best catfish I've ever eaten. So naturally, I had to ask how she fixed it and she said she didn't think she did anything unusual, but that she fries everything in olive oil, and we've been using olive oil ever since. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Bird]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( hope it's as healthy as they say )</font>

Me, too, but as with a lot of things, we changed for the wrong reason; healthy wasn't it. When I was doing gas leakage surveys, I had a job to do in Duncan, AZ, and if you've never been to Duncan, AZ, you don't know what you've missed. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif There was only one "RV park" if you could call it that; grown up in grass and weeds, an old 20' travel trailer with 2 washers and one dryer that was the only laundromat in town, only 3 or 4 RVs there, and was owned by the owner of the bar across the street, but at least it had water, electric, and sewer hookups. There was an 80 year old woman living there alone in an old travel trailer who spent most of her time across the street in the bar sipping beer. (I met some of the most interesting characters of all our travels in Duncan). One night she brought me a whole catfish she had fried. It was a pretty big one; most people probably would have considered it to be too big to fry whole. But I can tell you that was the best catfish I've ever eaten. So naturally, I had to ask how she fixed it and she said she didn't think she did anything unusual, but that she fries everything in olive oil, and we've been using olive oil ever since. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[rox]

Gary & Everybody,
DHL jsut picked upt he USA pallet today.

I don't even want to get into what a PIA it is to do shipping out of France. The labor laws here are such that you practically cna't get fired unless you assault you boss in fornt of the local police captain and even then I'm not sure. You could probably claim stress related to your job and get sent for mental health work and be able to come back to your job. Literally it took over 1 month jsut to get a quotation. I kid you not.

Anyway it is picked up now and will make it to Milwaukee. From Milwaukee it gets shipped out to some privae country clubs but we do have a store in Milwaukee carrying the product. I also this year decided to take a chance on some inventory so my sister has agreed to keep a few cases. I am still trying to get US distribution, like a distributor. It's tough but he LA award shuld help somewhat. So at the end of June I cna have my sister send out bottles.

Okay now don't choke on the price but here goes is is $20 a bottle for 1/2 liter plus the shipping. If you check out premium olive oils you will see that they go for $35 & $45 a 1/2 liter. But since I'm talking with, you know, "tractor" people ,you probably are not accustomed to paying the premium prices. Since we are not supposed to "sell" on TBN jsut send me a pm with your name and address etc. End of June beginning of July I'll work it out with my sister and get back to each of you who PM me.

We have got this really exclusive Hotel chain with 27 properties, and I mean this is a really exclusive chain, who it looks good "so far" that they will buy our oil for all their properties and we will ship it around the world. Ont he one hand, GREAT! On the other hand OMG more Freight work...

Keep your fingers crossed for us on that hotl chain that would be really great. We did manage to get 2 other hotels one in France and one in Atlanta buy our oil. The one in France bought 500 Liters, that is like over 7 grand. So I like the exclusive hotels and private country clubs, they buy big.

It is hard because olives tend to bear every other year, one year feast one year famin. We are on a pruning schedule now which will control that some what, but I always worry about selling all the oil. I hope this latest hotel chain doesn't want to buy right now but for next year. We would have to scrape every drop out of every barrel if they went for this year.

I found out it takes a very long time to get a new customer. it is not anything that happens, you call them, you send a sample and they buy. It is much longer than that. So basically I am working towards setting up sales for next year, which will be the "fat" year for us. It's tricky because you want to have enough customers to sell all the oil, but not to many because then you run out. We are already out of a really popular variety, the Bouteillan and my German customers are not that thrilled about it. Thankfully the AOC Blend won the big award in Germany so i am able to placate them by having them take that instead. If you don't have the product they want then they will find other suppliers so there is a lot of calculating and figuring and praying that goes on on the farm.

We could do like all the other farmers and sell all our oil to the mill. The Mill has their brand name of oil and has customers. But a mill is a mill and doesn't own any olive trees. They get theri oil form the farmers who sue the services of the mill. I don't want to jsut sell all my oil to the mill because I don't want to be beholding to the Mill. If we establish our own brand, even though we are part owners fo the mill, I control my own destiny. The mill when they are short of money just tells the farmers they have to wait. I don't like that system, it makes me nervous. If we find a lot of customers and we loose one or two we are not sunk because we have others, basically diversification. I don't like having my whole farm income owed to me by one entity.

Got on a roll here so better quit. I'm having another one of those sleepless nights. I think it is all the work i did today trying to get US distibution taking advantage of the Los Angeles County Fair win. Stike while the iron is hot. It has me keyed up.

Next eyar we are diversifying into table olives. Tha should be fun.

 

[rox]

Gary & Everybody,
DHL jsut picked upt he USA pallet today.

I don't even want to get into what a PIA it is to do shipping out of France. The labor laws here are such that you practically cna't get fired unless you assault you boss in fornt of the local police captain and even then I'm not sure. You could probably claim stress related to your job and get sent for mental health work and be able to come back to your job. Literally it took over 1 month jsut to get a quotation. I kid you not.

Anyway it is picked up now and will make it to Milwaukee. From Milwaukee it gets shipped out to some privae country clubs but we do have a store in Milwaukee carrying the product. I also this year decided to take a chance on some inventory so my sister has agreed to keep a few cases. I am still trying to get US distribution, like a distributor. It's tough but he LA award shuld help somewhat. So at the end of June I cna have my sister send out bottles.

Okay now don't choke on the price but here goes is is $20 a bottle for 1/2 liter plus the shipping. If you check out premium olive oils you will see that they go for $35 & $45 a 1/2 liter. But since I'm talking with, you know, "tractor" people ,you probably are not accustomed to paying the premium prices. Since we are not supposed to "sell" on TBN jsut send me a pm with your name and address etc. End of June beginning of July I'll work it out with my sister and get back to each of you who PM me.

We have got this really exclusive Hotel chain with 27 properties, and I mean this is a really exclusive chain, who it looks good "so far" that they will buy our oil for all their properties and we will ship it around the world. Ont he one hand, GREAT! On the other hand OMG more Freight work...

Keep your fingers crossed for us on that hotl chain that would be really great. We did manage to get 2 other hotels one in France and one in Atlanta buy our oil. The one in France bought 500 Liters, that is like over 7 grand. So I like the exclusive hotels and private country clubs, they buy big.

It is hard because olives tend to bear every other year, one year feast one year famin. We are on a pruning schedule now which will control that some what, but I always worry about selling all the oil. I hope this latest hotel chain doesn't want to buy right now but for next year. We would have to scrape every drop out of every barrel if they went for this year.

I found out it takes a very long time to get a new customer. it is not anything that happens, you call them, you send a sample and they buy. It is much longer than that. So basically I am working towards setting up sales for next year, which will be the "fat" year for us. It's tricky because you want to have enough customers to sell all the oil, but not to many because then you run out. We are already out of a really popular variety, the Bouteillan and my German customers are not that thrilled about it. Thankfully the AOC Blend won the big award in Germany so i am able to placate them by having them take that instead. If you don't have the product they want then they will find other suppliers so there is a lot of calculating and figuring and praying that goes on on the farm.

We could do like all the other farmers and sell all our oil to the mill. The Mill has their brand name of oil and has customers. But a mill is a mill and doesn't own any olive trees. They get theri oil form the farmers who sue the services of the mill. I don't want to jsut sell all my oil to the mill because I don't want to be beholding to the Mill. If we establish our own brand, even though we are part owners fo the mill, I control my own destiny. The mill when they are short of money just tells the farmers they have to wait. I don't like that system, it makes me nervous. If we find a lot of customers and we loose one or two we are not sunk because we have others, basically diversification. I don't like having my whole farm income owed to me by one entity.

Got on a roll here so better quit. I'm having another one of those sleepless nights. I think it is all the work i did today trying to get US distibution taking advantage of the Los Angeles County Fair win. Stike while the iron is hot. It has me keyed up.

Next eyar we are diversifying into table olives. Tha should be fun.