After years of rising through the ranks in corporate America, I decided to pursue my dream of discovering and sharing unique and premium-quality food products with a wider market. Together with my family, we want to share our passion for these foods and products with you.
Although Olive Oil & Friends was founded in 2014, the roots of the idea behind the company go back many decades. As a small child, I remember sitting in the kitchen of my family's restaurant and watching as my father and uncles worked to prepare amazing food. I sat next to the back entrance where the excess ice would get thrown out and remember the joy when I'd find a hidden clam shell in the melting mess.
The passion and curiosity for food was born, but the idea for Olive Oil & Friends came while visiting the French Atlantic Coast town of La Rochelle. As my wife and I meandered through the cobblestone streets, we stumbled upon shop after shop of wonderful simple foods. First it was the olive oil shop, then it was the canned fish shop, and the wine shop, and cheese... You get the point. In each store, we were struck by the simplicity and authenticity. No bright colors to distract from the products. No overhyped marketing to convince the uninformed consumer. Simplicity.
- Pericles
Olive Oil & Friends Founder