About The Olive Oil Guy

In the process of starting The Olive Oil Guy, I have been guided by two main motivations:

- My deep love for food, beverage, and  of course olive oil

- My intrigue in entrepreneurship and desire to leave my mark on this world.

I wanted to take some time and shed light on my journey so far, in the most “unfiltered” way possible.

My journey in the olive oil, and entrepreneurship space started 5 years ago.

When I was still living in Boston, I began importing unique olive oils from all around the world, and distributing to friends and family. I was driven purely by my desire to share new and happy experiences with others.

Growing up in Beirut, olive oil was such a big part of my culture. Back home, no one really bought olive oil at the supermarket. You would always have a distant relative gift it to you every year from the fruit of their crop.

When I moved to America, I noticed how overly commodified olive oil was. And I was determined to change that.

Supermarket shelves in the US were flooded with low quality oils, labelled extra virgin, and bottled in fancy looking bottles with Italian branding. The olive oil found in supermarkets was literally fraud. A commodified rancid blend - the exact opposite of what I grew up with.

I really wanted to change that - so much so that I became obsessed with this delicious liquid gold.

This obsession, deeply ingrained in me, led me to be known amongst  my friends as the olive oil guy. I really REALLY wouldn’t shut up about it.

Fast forward a few years, I left Boston, and my first olive oil business “failed”. This, however, strengthened my desire to make a change in the industry.

Upon arriving to the UK, I noticed that people outside the Mediterranean really needed better access to that fresh, good stuff.

Equipped with my learnings from my first “failure”, I decided to take a second and better shot.

And here’s where we are today. My second shot.

I must admit, the second shot has gone a lot better than the first. I have been blessed to have:

- Worked with some of the best Michelin chefs in the world

- Stocked my products at dream outlets like Harrods

- Taught at the world’s most renowned culinary institute - Le Cordon Bleu

- Participated as a judge on international olive oil competitions

But I know that this alone does not mean success. It is simply the first few solid steps, in a long and winding road.

In the last 5 years, more and more good quality olive oils have popped up in the US market, with many following on in the UK.

With global shortages of olive oil, and extreme price increases, we are in for a difficult ride ahead. But the journey is just getting started.

As more people are beginning to taste the difference, I believe we are in the early days of the olive oil renaissance. And my mission, as The Olive Oil Guy, is to enable this renaissance.

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