You know a company is dedicated to product quality when it pauses supply during a global shortage rather than supply an inferior product and damage its brand. Now, after eight months, the foodies brand of extra virgin olive oil is back in New Zealand, and samples are flying out the door.
Rachael Speedy is passionate about olive oil, but even she has been surprised at the events of the last few months as the world was gripped by an olive oil shortage.
Fires, flooding and droughts in Europe last year meant olive crops were decimated. But as a staple of the European diet, demand didn’t diminish.
“It’s the most stolen item in Spanish supermarkets – it’s like liquid gold in Europe,” says the director of New Zealand Premium Foods, which sells extra virgin olive oil under its foodies brand to New Zealand chefs.
With rumours that even the mafia had gotten involved in the European market given the extreme shortages and sky-high prices, it was time to make a call. The inability to source a product she was satisfied with meant foodies decided last October to pause supply to the New Zealand market.
Speedy looked around the world but the only product she could reliably source was “sub-par,” and the dedicated foodie and olive oil connoisseur was not prepared to supply an inferior product, so made the tough call to halt business until a reliable source could be found. Many of the products available were “cut through” with other oils, compromising taste, performance and health benefits.
Quality matters. Speedy lived overseas for more than a decade and developed a discerning palate for really good olive oil, even becoming a qualified taster certified with Savantes International Extra Virgin Olive Oil professional Olive Oil Tasting Programme.
When she returned to New Zealand she was disheartened to find terrible olive oils available – even being shocked to taste rancid oil at a food trade show – and resolved to bring good, extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) to New Zealand.
NZ Premium Foods was established in 2008 and quickly found a niche with people who “understood the difference” between EVOO and other oils.
Genuine, cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil is distinguished by taste. Speedy says it should have a fresh, fruity, herbaceous bouquet. Like a good red wine, it is best tasted warmed slightly and should have a smooth taste without being overly oily.
Olive oil is high in polyphenols and EVOO has the highest polyphenol count of all. It is a key component of the famed Mediterranean Diet, known to significantly lower risk of heart disease. Polyphenols are antioxidants, which reduce chronic inflammation, a primary risk factor in heart disease.
The supply foodies has secured is the first of the season (sourced from the southern hemisphere so the freshest available) and being packed down now, with samples going out to customers.
Longstanding customers are excited by the return of the brand, with samples racing out the door.
Restaurants, hotels and cafes all over New Zealand are foodies’ bread and butter, but Speedy says anyone can purchase from their website.
The oil is packed in an opaque PET bottle to preserve its goodness. Light is the enemy of olive oil but proper packaging can preserve the premium product for up to two years of shelf life.
Speedy says avoid oil packed in clear glass or worse, tins, which can give oil a metallic taste and cannot be recycled.
The PET bottle has a very low carbon footprint and makes the product compatible with Earth Check certification. PET packaging uses less fossil fuel than glass in both production and delivery. It is also recyclable.
The decision to effectively pause supply for more than half a year is not an easy one for a business to make, but for Speedy, it came down to a long-term view. As an ethical business built on supplying the best quality product, she wasn’t prepared to compromise.
“I had to gracefully bow out to stay true to our values, brand and ethics.”
She and her team are excited to be back with a product they’re delighted to bring to New Zealand’s keen foodies. She admits the price is unavoidably high due to global demand but says true foodies will pay for quality and the enthusiastic response suggests chefs are clamouring for the return of quality.
“It’s fresh and fruity, smooth on the palate and has a slight peppery finish, it’s delicious. Totally drinkable!”
For a sample, go to foodiesforfoodlovers.co.nz.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Should anyone require bulk orders of extra virgin olive then get in touch with Rachael Speedy at [email protected].
