FC: Hello Coralie, could you introduce yourself and tell us the story of Oliviers & Co.?
FC: Hello Coralie, could you introduce yourself and tell us the story of Oliviers & Co.?
On my side, after studying at the Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne and gaining experience in luxury hotels, I decided to join the family business last summer. What attracted me? To be able to combine two elements that I am passionate about: customer service and love for gastronomy. I am delighted about it!FC: Tell us a little bit more about the different types of olive oils you are selling, how you select the producers you work with and find new ones? What makes your approach different from other boutiques?
At Oliviers & Co. we are lucky to have an extraordinary oleologist, Eric Verdier. Once a year, he goes to meet the most assiduous producers of the Mediterranean basin and find real nuggets of green gold. After tasting the new crops, he selects about thirty olive oils, geographically and taste-wise different, vintages that our customers will not be able to find elsewhere. Every year we have a choice of floral, herbal, and sometimes spicy olive oils. These oils, with so different characteristics, are the result of three elements: the soil, the type of olive and the extraction process. Oliviers & Co. differentiates itself from its competitors thanks to its values, namely very pure products, which are also full of history and represented through a network of some hundred shops across four continents.
FC: What proved to be the most effective method(s) to establish your brand and grow your community in Switzerland?
I would say quality. Indeed, today we are a reference in terms of olive oils because we have rare and precious “grands crus”, which are appreciated by the customers for their high quality.
FC: Besides the hard work, while traveling and meeting the producers there must be a lot of funny stories as well – any anecdote that comes to your mind?
FC: Besides the hard work, while traveling and meeting the producers there must be a lot of funny stories as well – any anecdote that comes to your mind?During my visit to the Château Virant, on the way to Aix en Provence, I was surprised by the tasting method: the olive oil is tasted on the back of the hand. You have to pour a drop on the hand, which will warm up due to the heat of the body and then release all its perfumes, notes of dried herbs, almond… a marvel! Alternatively, you can pour a little olive oil in an egg cup and then place it in the fridge. Once solidified, spread it on a toast with beautiful tomatoes and Guérande salt: a delight!
FC: What’s next for Oliviers & Co.? Any future projects you’d like to share with us?
FC: What’s next for Oliviers & Co.? Any future projects you’d like to share with us?FC: Thank you, Coralie, for sharing Oliviers & Co.’s story with us!
FC: Thank you, Coralie, for sharing Oliviers & Co.’s story with us!
[Q&A originally in French, translated by us. Thanks to Oliviers & Co. for allowing us to use some of the pictures in this article and to Coralie for organizing a visit to the shop in Lausanne.]
Eggplants & fresh mango salsa
Print recipe
Ingredients
- 4 eggplants
- 4 tablespoons Greek yogurt
- 1 ripe mango
- 1/2 lime
- 1/2 bunch coriander (or mint)
- 1 red onion
- AOC O&CO. Espelette pepper
- O&CO. organic olive oil
- fleur de sel
Directions
| Step 1 | |
| Preheat oven to gas mark 6-7/200º. Cut the eggplants in half lengthways, place them on a baking tray, gently incise the flesh with a knife making squares, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle some fleur de sel and bake for 30-35 minutes. | |
| Step 2 | |
| In the meantime prepare the mango salsa: cut the peeled flesh of the mango into small cubes. Pour into a bowl. | |
| Step 3 | |
| Add the finely chopped onion to the bowl with the chopped coriander (or mint) and juice of the half lime. | |
| Step 4 | |
| Once the eggplants are ready and cooled down, add a tablespoon of yogurt to each eggplant and spread the mango salsa on top. | |
| Step 5 | |
| Sprinkle with Espellete pepper and serve! Pure deliciousness!! | |
