Keeping topics varied for our Wednesday Interview, we reached out to Neal Albert who spearheads Olivado's conquest of the US. Olivado is all about health and rich flavors with a line of oils mostly born from avocados.
Let the questions roll
Q: Who created Olivado?
A: Olivado was conceived and founded by Chris Nathan, a New Zealand professional chef and entrepreaur, who realized that the juice of avocados could be extracted and made into an ultra-healthy edible oil. He put together a team of experts including a legal brain, a marketing wiz, an internationally renowned food scientist, and an international investor, who all worked diligently for years to make Olivado a reality. This innovative team, working hand-in-hand with the food scientists at Massey University, New Zealand's premiere Food Science University, under a New Zealand Horticultural grant, pioneered and perfected the process of oil extraction from the avocado.
Q: Where did it all start?
A: It all began in the small, picturesque community of Kerikeri in New Zealand' s Northern Bay of Islands.
Q: Was the idea of making oil from avocados a way to turn a common food into a premium product?
A: Actually, the initial idea was to harness the flavor and health attributes of this amazing fruit in its essential form, which could then be used in a multitude of forms, with many applications.
Q: Did the overproduction of avocados in New Zealand relative to local demand a key factor into getting this project off the ground?
A: Up to a
point. New Zealand is essentially an agricultural country, and
using their healthiest
domestic produce to create an agribusiness
made good sense. Depending on the crop year, there is either an
overproduction, or an underproduction.
Q: How important were health and nutrition in launching Olivado?
A: It was essential,
and the driving force behind the company. Avocado is one of the world' s
healthiest fruits...much healthier than olives. Creating a tasty
oil was important, but it was the desire to unleash the health benefits
of avocado in its most essential form that drove everything that we
did.
We were quite frankly amazed at the many culinary attributes of the product
that we created.
Q: Can you share some of the recognized health benefits?
A: Yes. Firstly, it's almost 70% mono unsaturated fat, which has been shown to lower the bad cholesterol (LDL) and raise the good (HDL). It also contains many powerful plant sterols. It's loaded with the powerful antioxidant vitamin E, which protects the body against infections, bacterioirs and disease. It has 4 times the beta-sitosterol of olive oil, which has been shown to protect against coronary heart disease, diabetes, and prostate enlargement. It contains lutien, which protects the eyes against macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in the elderly. Ounce-per-ounce, Avocado Oil ranks highest in mono unsaturated fat, folate, potassium, magnesium, lutein, Beta-Sitosterol, and glutathione.
Q: Besides the opportunity of adding Fair Trade oils to your line, where there other reasons behind the decision to start a second facility in Kenya?
A: Two factors drove our decision. One was the need for a
large, continuing, sustainable source of fresh avocado, as we had
quickly exhausted the supplies available in New Zealand. The other
was our desire to be a positive force in combating the continuing
problems of hunger and poverty on
the African Continent. Our Fair
Trade and Organic program involves contracting with a large number of
small, family farms, mostly women owned. We train them in organic
growing techniques and then have them certified by an international
accrediting agency, allowing them to make many times more,
and
raising the standard of living for themselves, their families, and their communities.
Q: Are you using a different type of avocado in New Zealand and Kenya?
A: Yes. In New Zealand, we use Hass Avocado. In Kenya, we use the Fuente variety.
Q: Besides Lemons (in Avocado Zest Oil) and Macadamia Nuts (in Macadamia Nut Oil) which I believe come from Australia are any ingredients you use sourced from outside New Zealand?
A: Our Olive Oils (used in some of our products) also come from Australia. Everything else is locally grown and obtained.
Q: Could you share 3 favorite dishes you would cook using 3 of your oils?
A: Yes.
1. Extra Virgin Avocado Oil: Best Ever Grilled Veggies!: Toss cut red potatoes and mixed spring vegetables with Olivado extra virgin avocado oil, and roast them for 40 minutes at 400 degrees F. Outrageous!
2. Avocado Zest: Out Of This World Mixed Seafood Grill: Marinate shrimp, scallops, calamari, lobster and any fresh fish in Avocado Zest for 30 minutes, then grill and enjoy!
3. Olive Plus High Heat Cooking Oil: Garlic Pasta Primavera Olivado: Fry 20 whole garlic cloves in Olive Plus High Heat Oil until brown, add broccoli, red bell pepper and zucchini and sauté. Toss over cooked pasta.
Q: You started to build a following amongst chefs around the globe, what do they like most about Olivado oils?
A: They like the high heat properties (avocado oil has the highest smoke point of any oil, up to 520 degrees, while olive oil breaks down and burns at around 375) as well as the light, subtle flavor, as it enhances, rather than overpowers their recipes like olive oils sometimes do. They sometimes use it as a finishing oil to add a southwest flavor to their dishes, and they note an amazing property of the oil in that it blends ingredients together to make foods taste better.
Q: Of all the countries where Olivado is available, where are your oils most popular (top 5 countries)?
A: We have a very large following in our native New Zealand, and in the UK. We have a substantial following in the US, and are very popular in Switzerland, Ireland, Finland and Japan.
Q: I noticed that in my state of New Jersey, your line is available mostly in traditional supermarkets, is the same thing true in the rest of the US as well as in other markets?
A: Yes. We at Olivado believe that our products should be part of the mainstream diet, and so we deliberately attempt to place them where most people shop for their weekly groceries.
Q: What brought you to the company?
A: I had a 30 year career
importing and marketing Olive Oils. I had watched olive oil grow
from a specialty niche item into a mainstream grocery item due mainly
to the heart-healthy aspects of olive oils high mono-unsaturated fat
profile and the focus on the Mediterranean Diet, and its applications
for
healthy living. When I looked at the health benefits of avocado oil, I realized
that by comparison, it made Olive Oil seem like lard. After that, there
was no looking back.
Q: Did you start with Olivado in the US?
A: Yes. I' m a Real Brooklyn American.
Q: What does being Olivado' s Evangelist in the US entails?
A: Firstly, have an understanding that we are what we eat. Secondly be a proponent
of the concept of Natural Nutrition, which is health and nutrition derived
from metabolizing natural, unadulterated foods, as opposed to taking nutritive
supplements and pills. Then, you must realize that the basic
essence
of food is the fat it is prepared in, or is added to it. An Ohio University
Study found that avocado oil acts as a nutrient booster, allowing the
body to metabolize up to 17 times more nutrients from salads that without
it. Once you understand this, you are our customer for life. Spread
the word, and you' re an Olivado Evangelist.
Let me thank Neil for sending a bottle of Olivado's Extra Virgin Avocado Oil and of the Avocado Zest oil my way.
I put the Avocado Zest to the test for a homemade salad dressing (I never buy salad dressing). The tangy lemons came out nicely.
Now get cooking!
You are what you eat!
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