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O C G S h o w D a i l y 4 9 M o n d a y, Ju n e 6 , 2 0 1 6 SPANISH OLIVE OILS THAT MARRY TRADITIONAL PURITY WITH MODERN SCIENCE By Lorrie Baumann "Sometimes you stop looking, and your passion finds you," says Tom Sutherland, Co-founder and Brand Manager for The Olivique. "That would be the definition of how olive oil came into my life." It happened one day at the elevator in his apartment building in Madrid. Sutherland ran into a neighbor there, who told him, "Now I know why I met you," Sutherland tells the story. "We're going to conquer America." "I said, 'Wow! I thought Christopher Columbus did that," he replied to his friend. "He said, 'Don't be silly. I'm talk- ing about olive oil.'" From that casual conversation sprang The Olivique, a two-year-old company that came to the Winter Fancy Food Show this year to launch four varieties of Spanish extra virgin olive oil as part of a delegation of food pro- ducers sponsored by Spain's National Trade Commission. The Olivique oils are each made from a different olive varietal: Picual is a unique oil that rich in oleic acid and has a strong flavor with notes of wood and fresh herbs. Koroneiki, an olive that's native to Greece but is now also being grown in Spain, produces an oil with full body and robust taste with a peppery finish. It's also very rich in oleic acid. Cornicabra is a milder oil with note of fresh herbs and tomato that pairs beau- tifully with salads or vegetables. Finally, Arbequina is the olive that pro- duces the oil that's most familiar to many Americans. It has a delicate, grassy taste with notes of apples and almonds that enhances subtle flavors without overwhelming them. Each of The Olivique products is pure extra vir- gin olive oil, Sutherland says. "Some folks are adding cayenne and lemon, not only to olive oil but to balsamics. We don't do that," he says. "Our slogan is truth, simplicity in olive oil." He points out that infused oils may actually be blends that disguise bad char- acteristics, such as age. The Olivique, by contrast, depends on transparency, verifi- cation and certification by third-party laboratories and customer education to sell oils that each have a portfolio of doc- umentation that's available to the compa- ny's distributors from its web site. "We wanted to have as much documentation as possible, so that people can access as much documentation as they wish," Sutherland says. The Olivique oils are produced in the region around Toledo, Spain, which is not the highest-producing olive oil region in the country. "We went to Toledo because we wanted to participate in newer denominations that are producing oils that are very interesting, young and fresh," Sutherland says. The olives come from family farms that haven't been in large commercial production in the past and have trees that may be up to a hundred years old or more. The newer orchards, in which the trees were planted in straight rows, are harvested with modern machines, but the older orchards, in which there are no straight lines, are harvested by one of the last migrant olive-picking families on the Iberian peninsula. They spread cloths on the ground beneath the trees and then shake the branches with long poles until the olives tumble down onto the cloths. "Our olives don't sit on the ground, not even for a minute," Sutherland says. "The olives fall onto a cloth, and then the olives go straight to the mill. That's been from the beginning of olive trees, and that's how it still happens. When they fin- ish, it goes straight to the mill for crush- ing." "It's also beneficial to collect the olives under a full moon. It helps to make it much more romantic, and it affects the flavor somehow," he adds. "We're start- ing to work with the moon cycles. I do believe it has an influence. Fortunately for us, we're very grateful to have a sci- entific mind in our romantic quest." The Olivique oils are currently being sold in Zabar´s in New York, Jimbo´s, Bay Cities and Vicente Foods. Distribution is through Gourmet Merchants American (GMA). For more information, visit www.olivique.com. SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY OLIVE OIL COMPETITION WINNERS ANNOUNCED The Olive Press' Picual (Sonoma) and Coldani Olive Ranch's Calivirgin Bountiful Basil (Lodi) have been named the best of show winners in the 2nd Annual San Joaquin Valley Olive Oil Competition. The competition, open to all olive oil producers in the state of California with products made from their most recent olive harvest, received a total of 61 entries from 18 different olive oil producers from throughout the state. Entries were received in two classes, extra virgin olive oils and flavored olive oil, with nine subcategories in total. Gold and silver medals were awarded, as well as an overall best of show selected for each of the two classes. In total there were 39 EVOO and 22 flavored olive oil entries that were judged by a panel of seven judges from the California Olive Oil Council Taste Panel. The judging took place on March 8 in Pleasanton, California. Extra Virgin Oil Class Gold Medals Gold medals in the extra virgin oil class went to Enzo Olive Oil Company's Tyler Florence Test Kitchen EVOO (Clovis) and Rosenthal Olive Ranch's Arbosana (Madera), which both won in the catego- ry for Spanish blends. Gold medals for Spanish single variety oils went to Coldani Olive Ranch's Calivirgin Premium EVOO (Lodi), Calolea Olive Ranch's Calolea Mission (Marysville) and The Olive Press' Picual (Sonoma). Gold Medals for Italian Blends Gold medals for Italian blends went to Winter Creek Olive Oil's Winter Creek Olive Oil (Winter Creek), Winter Creek Olive Oil's Ruscello d'Inverno (Winter Creek), Coldani Olive Ranch's Lodi Olive Growers Blend (Lodi), The Olive Press' Italian Blend (Sonoma), Coppetti Olive Oil's Harvest Blend (Modesto), Bava Family Grove's Bava Monticelli Estate Napa Valley (Escalon), San Miguel Olive Farm's Tuscan Nectar of the Gods (San Miguel) and San Miguel Olive Farm's Tuscan Gold (San Miguel). Coldani Olive Ranch's Lodi Olive Oil Ascolano (Lodi) won the sole gold medal awarded for an Italian single variety oil, and Bozzano Olive Ranch's A2 (Stockton) won a gold medal for other blends. Gold Medals for Flavored Oils Gold medals for flavored oils went to The Olive Press' Lime (Sonoma) and The Olive Press' Limonata (Sonoma), which compet- ed in the citrus-flavored category. Coldani Olive Ranch's Calivirgin Bountiful Basil (Lodi) won the gold medal for an herbal- flavored oil, and Coldani Olive Ranch's Calivirgin Jalapeno Garlic (Lodi) and Coldani Olive Ranch's Calivirgin Extreme Heat Serrano (Lodi) won gold medals for oils with other flavorings. Extra Virgin Oil Class Silver Medals Silver medals in the extra virgin olive oils class went to Fandango Olive Oil's Fiesta (Paso Robles), a Spanish blend; Italian blends, Frog Hollow Farm's Frog Hollow Farm Organic EVOO (Brentwood), Bozzano Olive Ranch's Toscana Organic (Stockton), San Miguel Olive Farm's Tuscan Pristine (San Miguel) and La Ferme Soleil's La Ferme Soleil (San Francisco); and other blends, Rancho Azul y Oro's Estate Blend (San Miguel) and Rosenthal Olive Ranch's Koroneiki (Madera). Among the single variety oils, The Olive Press' Arbosana (Sonoma), The Olive Press' Arbequina (Sonoma), The Olive Press' Sevillano (Sonoma), Fandango Olive Oil's Elegante (Paso Robles), Enzo Olive Oil Company's Delicate Ranch 11 (Clovis) and Coppetti Olive Oil's Fall Harvest (Modesto) won silver medals for Spanish single-variety oils; Coldani Olive Ranch's Lodi Olive Oil Frantoio EVOO (Lodi) and Alta Cresta Olive Oil's Alta Cresta Premium Coratina (Paso Robles) won silver medals for Italian single-vari- ety oils, and Enzo Olive Oil Company's Bold Ranch 11 (Clovis) and The Olive Press' Mission EVOO (Sonoma) won sil- ver medals for other single-variety oils. Silver Medals for Flavored Oils In the category for citrus-flavored oils, Olive Ranch's Meyer Lemon (Marysville), Coldani Olive Ranch's Calivirgin Lusty Lemon (Lodi), The Olive Press' Clementine (Sonoma) and Rancho Azul y Oro's Estate Blend Orange (San Miguel) were awarded sil- ver medals. Coldani Olive Ranch's Calivirgin Rustic Rosemary (Lodi) and Coldani Olive Ranch's Calivirgin Oh! Oregano (Lodi) were awarded silver medals in the herb-flavored oils category, and The Olive Press' Jalapeno (Sonoma) and Coldani Olive Ranch's Calivirgin Hot Virgin Jalapeno (Lodi) were awarded silver medals for oils with other flavors. Planning is already underway for the 2017 SJVOOC, which will be held April 4. More information will be available on the organization's website in November. THE HATFIELD AND MCCOY FEUD IS OVER Hatfield and McCoy are to meet in Chicago to debut a line of premium jerky. For the first time in their histories, the descendants of each family have come together to introduce Hatfield and McCoy Black Powder Beef Jerky and Spicy Revenge Bacon Jerky. Black Powder is a classic tangy, spicy beef jerky. This premium jerky is tender and has a seasoned bite that you can't get enough of. Spicy Revenge is the wildly popular bacon jerky. This jerky starts sweet and smoky. It finishes with a spicy kick that Hatfield and McCoy call Revenge. It's the absolute best combina- tion of sweet and spicy in premium bacon jerky. For more than 150 years, the Hatfield and McCoy feud remains the most notorious in American folklore. Now, Hatfield and McCoy have come together to partner on an American brand rooted in old family recipes, pride of name and Appalachian tradi- tion. Hatfield and McCoy Jerky is more than a boutique brand – it is a recognizable national name brand with unprecedented exposure in the media. In 2012, History Channel produced the "Hatfields & McCoys" mini- series, reaching 14 million viewers and is currently being carried on Netflix. The success and popularity lead History Channel to produce a 16 episode series in 2013 called "White Lightning." The reality show followed the current real-life descendants of the Hatfields and McCoys as they partnered together to release a family brand of whiskey. The Legendary Hatfield and McCoy Family Brand Whiskey is now distrib- uted all across the United States. The opportunity to access a premium jerky product with an established nationally recognized name like the Hatfield and McCoy brand will drive sales way past other boutique brands. It makes you won- der why "Ole Ran'L'" McCoy and "Devil" Anse Hatfield didn't partner together much sooner.