Olive oil a pricey indulgence at upscale Oliviers & Co

It's a common scene in movies and shows for a mother to tell her child, “Bumili ka ng mantika sa kanto.” Then she would give the child some spare change from the pocket of her housedress.

Well, if the mother happens to live in highly urbanized and trendy Bonifacio Global City, she would have to shell out more than just spare change to buy oil.

At specialty store Oliviers & Co., olive oil can cost over P3,000 for a 500 mL bottle.

In an interview with GMA News Online, Dennis Encarnado, sales manager with Specialty Food Retailers Inc. (which brought Oliviers & Co. to the Philippines), said the store's products were sourced from the best oil makers in the world.

At the sidelines of Oliviers’ grand opening last month, Encarnado said the shop carries “Grand Crus”—oils from exceptional olive groves in the Mediterranean region.

Product information

Oliviers & Co. provides its clients with a brochure listing its olive oil collection for the year. The brochure lists the specific farm the oil came from, the date of the olives' harvest, the oil’s characteristics, and other relevant information.

For instance, for the store’s most expensive olive oil, Il Fornacino, the producer is identified as Deanna Messini Sienna. The origins are Tuscany, Siena, Castelnuovo Berardenga.

Il Fornacino is a limited edition olive oil, with only 2,000 liters produced in November 2013. It costs P3,195 per 500 mL bottle.

The oil is described as grassy, with the smell of green apple, cucumber, and fresh grass. The taste is said to be “extremely smooth, soft, mellow, and extremely unctuous.”

The Oliviers & Co. brochure likewise suggests foods that may be paired with specific kinds of olive oil.

For Il Fornacino, the store suggests pairing it with raw vegetables (tomatoes, green salad, or composed salad), cooked vegetables (potatoes, artichoke heart, eggplant, and others), red meat, pasta, and cheeses.

At the store's grand opening, chef Tristan Encarnacion demonstrated ways of incorporating olive oil in everyday cooking.

Encarnacion, resident chef of GMA Network’s “Unang Hirit,” told GMA News Online that olive oil can be a part of everyday Philippine cuisine, giving dishes a richer, deeper, and fuller flavor.

Asked if a specialty store like Oliviers could achieve great success in the Philippine market, Encarnado said the prospects were bright, especially as more people are developing a preference for fresh and healthful food.

Gran Cru

Oliviers & Co. was founded in 1996 after a group of photographers went around the Mediterranean in search of the area's best olive groves.

After meeting the region's dedicated olive growers, the photographers wondered why the finest olive oils are not given the “Gran Cru” label similar to the world’s finest wines.

The first Oliviers & Co. boutique was opened in Paris in 1998. Since then, the company has grown to nearly 90 stores worldwide.

Aside from olive oil in various flavors such as vanilla, pepper, and mango, the company also sells balsamic vinegar. At the BGC store, 12-year-old balsamic vinegar—said to be the best in the world—is available.

That is, available to only the well-heeled and very lucky few: according to Encarnado, only six bottles of the balsamic vinegar could be provided to the Philippines. Each bottle costs P7,595.

Encarnado also noted that the store takes extra care to maintain the quality of its products. Olive Oil, for instance, should not be sold in glass bottles, he said. He explained that too much light affects the quality of the olive oil. Thus Oliviers & Co. sells its oils in food-grade metal containers.

Encarnado encouraged Filipinos to try incorporating olive oil in their daily diet. Considered by many to be a "superfood," olive oil contains vitamin E and oleic acid. It lowers the risk for heart disease, slows cerebral aging, facilitates digestion, and increases good cholesterol. Furthermore, the olive oils sold in supermarkets and groceries nationwide offer the same benefits at a fraction of the price of the top-shelf oils sold at Oliviers & Co. — BM, GMA News
 
Oliviers & Co. (920-8211) at Level 2, Central Square, Bonifacio High Street Central, is open Sundays to Thursdays from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and Fridays to Saturdays from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.