2007 COOC Annual Meeting

Monterrey was the venue again for the California Olive Oil Council’s annual membership meeting celebrating the organization’s 15th year.

Executive Director Patty Darragh introduced Alan Greene, the new board president who gave a brief state of the COOC speech. He also offered to respond after the meeting to provocative questions posed in an anonymous letter sent to California olive oil producers the week before.

This was followed by an unusual type of olive oil tasting. Using two very different olive oils, taste panel members Dean Wilkinson and Nancy Ash introduced the audience to the differences between the certification and Solinas forms for olive oil tasting.

The COOC certification form basically deals only with the absence of defects. If the oil has passed the chemical tests for acidity and has no defects when tasted, it qualifies for the COOC seal and is certified extra virgin. The tasting panel also rates the oil for bitterness, fruitiness and pungency but this is only informational for the grower, not a part of the certification. (click for form)

The Mario Solinas Sensory assessment sheet is what is used during “beauty contests” for olive oil such as the Los Angeles County Fair where bronze, silver and gold medals are awarded. (Click for form). Scoring has nothing to do with certification. Oils with defects are not scored at all. Nancy and Dean answered many questions from the audience which helped clear up misconceptions about how oils were being certified and how the tasting panel operated.

Author Kimberly Lord-Stewart gave a review of her book “Eating Between the Lines, The Supermarket Shopper’s Guide to the Truth Behind Food Labels”. She directed most of her presentation to the oils chapter of the book but recounted anecdotes of finding labels such as “Organic Seafood” and “hormone free chicken” (prohibited by law since the 1950s) in the local supermarket. She also held a book sale and signing after the event.

Former COOC president and long time board member Albert Katz presented the history of the COOC to date. He shared several interesting facts that he had found while perusing the papers of deceased founder Lila Jaeger.

Representatives of the COOC Marketing panel gave individual presentations. Mary McCarthy, CEO of Tutta California spoke on the educational and marketing DVD which was passed out to members. There is a 10 and 2 minute version. Linda Sikorski, Senior Buyer for The Pasta Shop Market Hall Foods described what works on the retail shelf, what professional buyers and consumers look for in a bottle of olive oil. This included bottle size, color, shape and label (see complete presentation). Joeli Yaguda of Pasolivo Olive Oil commented on the internet as a path to marketing success.

An open forum drew few questions and the meeting was adjourned, to be followed later that night by the dinner, dance and silent auction.
 

Presented at the 2007 COOC members meeting. Marketing committee member Linda Sikorski is a senior food buyer for the Pasta Shop Market Hall Foods. She presents here her thoughts on olive oil marketing as it relates to the retail channel shelf.

Practicalities of Design: Use a professional, experienced graphics person. Become an expert or use an expert for proof reading for typos. Talk to the bottling company and the printer before designing your label.

Redesigning a Label: Be consistent. Make sure the label is still recognizable as your label.

Front Label

Text and Copy:
Who: Name of your company. Is it easy to pronounce. Many California companies have Spanish place names which may be unfamiliar to those on the East coast.
What: Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- If you sell more than one oil, how do you differentiate them? Be bold and clear using color and font. Do not let a consumer expecting an extra virgin oil get home with a lemon flavored one.
- Single Variety or a blend?
- Organic or Sustainable?
Where: Emphasis: California - Region: Napa Valley, etc.

Aesthetic of the front label:
Define your look: old fashioned, modern, down home, fresh California look?
- Consider who your customers are
- Include an element of surprise, fun and excitement
- Graphic designer - Hire a designer experienced in food labels.

Font and Graphics
- Should be readable from a distance and up close. Does it draw you in?
- Graphic or Picture: Should be appropriate, representing your company and olive oil
- Color: What catches the eye: Does it express your company and looks good with the bottle?

Label Material
- Consider that the label gets oily. Maybe use a laminate

Back Label

The back label is an opportunity to present information that professional buyers can use on retail signage to promote your oil.

Who are you; This is a chance to really tell your story in detail (Why is there a picture of an owl on the front label, etc.).

Why did you get in to the business or why should they buy your oil?

What does the oil taste like? Be specific. Describe the aroma and the taste.

How do you use it? Give 3 ways to use it. This can be general or specific.

When is the date of harvest or "best consumed by".

Bottle Shape and Closure

Shape
- Be practical. Can you pick it up and pour easily. Is bottle "top Heavy"?
- Des the bottle fit easily on store shelves?  Too tall doesn't work for retail shelving nor the customer's cupboard.

Closure
- Be careful of cheap metal caps and wax.

Color
- Do you have control over where your bottle ends up in the store of the storeroom? if not, a dark bottle is better.