2006 NASFT Winter Fancy Food Show

Olive oil producers from all over the globe flocked to the food show this January in Moscone Center, San Francisco. 

We always try to look at the big picture and see what's hot and what's not. Ginger and Loquat were out this year, but fruit flavored waters and drinks were still big, including bush tea, chai and maté  types.  Energy drinks were not as big this year. Asian influences were ascendant.  Hurricane Katrina must have jogged everyone's brain into Cajun territory; muffuletta mix was everywhere an olive was.

A record number of foreign olive oil producers bought booths outside of  the "Country Aisles" to try to get a piece of the US Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oil market.  Companies from Italy, Greece, Turkey, Chile, Lebanon, Argentina, Israel, Spain, Australia and New Zealand were signing up distributors, selling cases of oil to Mom and Pop gift stores, delis,  small groceries and hoping for the big break with an important chain. Many of the foreign producers are getting clued in about how lucrative flavored oils can be and had them on display.

A sea of olive oil in the Australian section

There were specialty oils besides olive oil.  Several booths advertised flavored grape seed oils.  Unusual nut oils like cashew were being promoted along with health claims for  flax seed, avocado, rice, walnut, hazelnut, macadamia nut and coconut oils.  The people at the pecan oil booth couldn't say what made it "100% pure and virgin" or if there was an International Pecan Oil Board which defined such things.

Products were available for impossibly narrow niches. One company had small "wine wafers" in several flavors specifically for tasting Cabernet wines.  At another booth, when asked what one would do with lavender flavored vinegar, the reply was that it was a must when serving Asian pears.  A Manzanillo and Caserne variety olive oil was deemed a must for chilled cooked asparagus. (They later admitted that when in doubt you could say any flavored oil would be excellent on asparagus).

 If you can't get your premium chocolate onto the market, look for a narrower niche; one company had gourmet chocolates which were fortified with calcium and Vitamin D aimed at postmenopausal women trying to forestall osteoporosis. Two tablets were a day's supply.  And there may be more money in that niche than in wine wafers, P&G research shows calcium supplements are a $40 million market per product spokespeople.

In the California Olive Oil Council (COOC) booth, space was rented by the 1/2 day to members to offer taste samples. Mary McCarthy from Tutta California, Joeli Yaguda from Willow Creek Ranch (Pasolivo oil) and Lucero Olive Oil were pouring oil the day we were there. Patty Darragh, executive director of the COOC said the show had been a success so far in promoting California producers to food buyers. A special reception after the show for the press was well attended.

O Olive Oil had their own booth and were announcing a delicious new jalapeno pepper with Tahitian lime olive oil.  They had no comment when asked about Safeway grocery store's new O line of organic foods with very similar colors and graphics.

Mary Ellen Mooney of  Mooney Farms announced their single varietal extra virgin olive oil made from their newly planted Arbequina orchards. The bottle label and packaging made it look very Euro-imported.

Alan Greene of California Olive Ranch reported much of his current year's oil is already spoken for.  Nearly one half of the company's sales are in bulk. Attendees were tasting cake made with California Olive Ranch oil at the booth.  Food distributor Albert Katz of Katz & Co. displayed his Kitchen Line of products  Bonnie Storm's olive oil was available for tasting. Bonnie promised to give us a better back story than the Grandma in Sicily.

Stella Cadente's Sue Ellery was offered tastes of their new blood orange oil; perfect for finishing a salad or baking.

Pica Trade Company's Steve Tabrize was introducing a California olive oil this year.

The Bariani family staffed their family olive oil booth. Show attendees tasted a new basil garlic flavored olive oil at the B.R. Cohn booth. 

McEvoy Olive Oil sparkled in their pastorally decorated booth. You felt like you were right at their Marin county farm. Their excellent back label should be a model for the industry.

Bella Cucina gets my award for best booth. They coughed up the money for more expensive overhead lighting which made their products really pop.  They were offering an extended product line of essence oils, dippers and even sold the olive theme dipping bowls and plates.

At other booths the back story seemed to be important.  Towering sepia tone photos of Grandma as a barefoot young woman harvesting wheat in Sicily were the backdrop for a simple cracker. 

Sex still sells; olive oil is best enjoyed on a Tuscan hillside patio while a sensuous  young woman runs her bare foot up your leg according to label art at the Rogers Collection.

The Australians are invading the olive oil scene with low priced premium oils just like they have with Shiraz on the wine shelves. Oil made from mechanically picked clone varieties make for low price and good quality. 

Venerable Nunez de Prado were promoting their "Flor de Aceite" or "free run" organic olive oil made with no pressing. The olives are stone ground and then the oil is allowed to drip from the mash without any heat or pressure.

One of the most intriguing items at the show was a quick setup light "studio" made by Cubelite for photographing food and small products. The 2, 3, and 4 foot square light boxes, made up of thin white fabric sprang into shape like an instant tent creating an excellent light booth with the included light and reflector. Very handy for those digital photographers taking quick product shots for websites, promotional brochures and online stores.

And for those of you who didn't have a chance to try the beer brittle at last year's show, this year Fiery Beer Brittle and Chardonnay Brittle were available for tasting along with the original.

Entries Sought for California Olive Oil Competition
Yolo County Fair Expanding Second Professional Judging Event

WOODLAND – Entries are now being accepted for an California-produced olive oil, Registered Organic Olive Oil, and flavored olive oil competition to be conducted in Northern California in March.

The Yolo County Fair will host the event, which will feature both statewide and local competitions. Entries are due by 5 p.m. March 20 and must consist of two bottles of at least eight ounces in size. Oils may be delivered via UPS and mail, or delivered directly to the Yolo County Fair Office. An entry fee of $50 per entry is also due with entry forms, which are available from the Yolo County Fair and online at: http://www.yolocountyfair.net.

“In recent years, interest in the multiple uses of olive oils has grown in popularity,” said Fair Board Member Patty Bogle. “Yolo County and Northern California producers have put products on the market that have attracted consumer attention, and we want to help further highlight the industry and its contributions to California’s agriculture economy.”

Olive oils produced anywhere in California are eligible for the competition. New this year is the section of registered organic Olive oils. Olive oils produced locally will be judged in the statewide competitions – and will also be entered into a second contest against other Yolo County entries.

All winners will be honored at a post-special awards event on May 7, where the public will be invited to taste the award-winning olive oils and meet their producers. Winners will also be recognized at the 2006 Yolo County Fair in August.

This is the second olive oil competition the Yolo County Fair has hosted. The first event was a local competition conducted in August 2005 during the run of the annual Yolo County Fair. More than 40 olive oils competed in that contest, which highlighted the olive oil’s contribution to California’s agricultural industry. California is the leading producer of olive oil in the United States.

The 2006 competition expands on the success of last year’s event. A group of professional judges will judge the olive oil competition, which has more than 15 classes.

Judging will be conducted March 28 through 30. Gold, Silver and Bronze medals will be awarded, as well as Best of Class and Best of Show. All winners will be notified within 14 days of the competition. A special Best of Yolo County award will be presented to the winner of the local contest.

For a complete set of rules and entry forms for the 2006 Olive Oil and Flavored Oil Competition, please contact the Yolo County Fairgrounds at (530) 662-5393, or visit: http://www.yolocountyfair.net.

2006 California Olive Oil Council Annual Membership Meeting

MONTEREY: This year’s educational component made the trip to Monterey well worth the time and money. The cocktail party, silent auction, dinner and dancing sweetened the deal.  The gathering started with a brief state of the organization update by Executive Director Patty Darragh  and President Karen Guth with board member Alan Greene, and then featured several hours of very useful marketing and sales tips by experts in the food industry.

Karen announced that 188 oils were certified this year with a 11% rise in the number of supporting members. A USDA grant of $48K is supporting exports, primarily to Canada but also to the EU. COOC staff and members attended or supported the San Francisco Fancy food show with a special evening media event, the NASFT food show in New York, the Ottawa food show, a food show in Cologne, and a special training of taste panel members in Italy.

Alan Greene described the phenomenal growth in the industry with hundreds of acres of new trees planted and new processors going in. The organization is considering a new board structure. Representation could be by industry type; growers vs. processors, or by region with a district representative. The current board welcomes comments from the members about this. The COOC is investigating aligning with other agricultural commodity groups in their efforts.

Patty returned to the podium and described several trade show strategies.  While the New York Fancy Food show is smaller, there is greater visibility due to a paucity of other oils. The COOC will also pour oils at overseas shows for producers so they need not be present. Producers Joey Lucero and Joeli Yaguda attested to the quality of leads gathered at recent Fancy Food shows.

A panel presentation by board members Neil Blomquist of Spectrum Organics and Dick Neilsen of McEvoy Ranch, and by Linda Sikorski, buyer for Market Hall foods, discussed "reaching the retail market". They described the roles of brokers and distributors and the percentages each take. Linda described how best to approach a buyer, what to say, and how to follow up. They also discussed the utility of tasting demonstrations, and how to avoid channel conflict in pricing. Hidden costs such as processing and shipping and slotting fees were covered.

The COOC has developed several tools for producers. The retail store training program and includes a single sheet describing the seal program for retailers, in store posters, shelf talkers, brochures, brochure holders and a demo kit for tasting. An educational video for retailers describing what makes California olive oil unique will start shooting this fall when the 2006 harvest starts.

"Marketing and public relations tips and tools" was presented by board member  Mary McCarthy of Tutta California and Roberta Klugman of Klugman and Associates.  They included written materials and worksheets to help members develop their own promotional plan and material. One piece was a ready-made radio interview which can be used by producers to promote their oil and the California industry.

The meeting finished with questions for the board. One member asked the number of California producers who were COOC members, 85% according to Patty, but otherwise there were no contentious issues brought up. 

That evening at the Portola hotel, a cocktail hour with silent auction was followed by dinner and announcements.  Roberto Zecca was presented with the Pioneer award for his help in setting up the tasting panel and activities on the board.  A hardy bunch finished the evening with dancing to the music of a DJ.