Israeli Movement Towards Wellness Makes Olive Oil a Thriving Category

Posted by Menachem Lubinsky on June 9, 2010 under Israel, Kosher, Kosher Companies | View Comments

Tel Aviv…by Staff Reporters…With his heavy French accent, Julian Atias, founder and owner of  LIVEO (the O from Olive is at the end), speaks passionately of his high-end store on Rothschild Blvd that has taken olive oil to a whole new level. A few blocks away on Fryshman Street is another Olive oil boutique called Olia where Hila Venkert made a career change from the world of fashion to promoting exotic olive oil products. Many supermarkets throughout Israel carry several brands of olive oil, but not just bottles of the 100% virgin olive oil, but also jams, sauces, and mixes, which says Julian is all part of a new emphasis by many Israelis on wellness. Many of Hila’s customers, including the elderly, actually begin their day not with a cup of coffee or orange juice but with a cup of olive oil as a means of stimulating the good agents in the body. Julian’s olive oil comes from Kibbutz Revivim in the Negev with its 500 acres of olive trees grown under the best conditions. The kibbutz developed the technology to keep the salt underneath the soil to give the trees the ideal conditions for growing the olives. Julian’s store has nearly 100 different products made with olive oils, whether with the Israeli vintage olives Barnea or Souri or Italian Frantoio, a Tapendade spread that mixes parsley and sesame or a simple mix with sundried tomatoes.

Some of the customers are here to feel good while others are on an olive oil regimen prescribed by physicians to lower saturated fats. The various olive oil jams have become best sellers to Israelis looking for the blend of the sweet and the distinct olive taste. At Olia, Hila’s brother Nimrod is constantly producing new combinations at his plant in Nes Ziona, sometimes creating the conditions of foreign grown olive trees. The fusions at Olia “simply blow many tourists away,” says Hila. Blends like the Middle East blend with three different types of olives, infused figs that includes dried figs, sugar, balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, green olives and shata pepper. Customers have become as discerning with olives as wine connoisseurs are with their fine wines. Both Olian and LiveO also offer a full line of olive oil cosmetic products that many customers have come to associate with healthier and “younger looking” skin. The products in both stores are under rabbinical supervision and there is a growing interest in exporting these olive oil gourmet products that are taking Israelis by storm.