Here’s why...and how you can reserve your own private supply.

Announcing the Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club

Dear Olive Oil Aficionado:

A major olive oil opportunity is at hand. But if you’re interested, you must act quickly.

As I tell all my foodie friends, olive oil, unlike wine, does not improve with time. Just the opposite. It’s at its peak of delicious perfection immediately after it’s pressed.

This is why the locals in the olive-growing regions of Italy, Spain, Greece, and other Mediterranean countries go crazy—as do I—over fresh-pressed oil. They joyously throw “harvest parties” to celebrate its arrival, its vibrant, youthful bloom of heavenly taste and extraordinary health benefits. These marvelous qualities start to fade within three to six months after bottling, and this is true of all olive oil, which is why fresh-pressed oil is superior to any other olive oil you’ll ever taste.

The big problem for us in America is that only a precious trickle of fresh-pressed olive oil ever makes it to our shores. The vast preponderance of olive oil that finds its way to the U.S. gets shipped months—maybe even a year—after pressing, and it travels here by molasses-slow cargo ship. As a result, the oil’s fresh, bright flavor is already on a downward spiral by the time it is unloaded at our docks. And then it may languish additional months, losing more flavor and growing more stale, as it sits on store shelves.

This is why so many of the olive oils sold in gourmet stores are bottled and labeled without reference to their production dates, making it impossible for you to determine how fresh they are. Remember, I’m speaking now of the production date, not a “best used by” date. Many mass marketers of olive oil purposely omit the production date because they know that discriminating olive oil lovers always prize freshness. But without a production date on the bottle, you won’t be able to tell. And that’s why you, just like I used to, have probably been seduced by fancy bottles and pretty labels only to bring home mediocre olive oils whose flavors have faded and dulled—maybe even turned rancid.

You and I Insist on Fresh Milk and Fresh Fish. Why Not Fresh Olive Oil?

To me, this is downright unfair! As consumers we insist on fresh bread, fresh milk, fresh fish, fresh meat, fresh produce. Don’t we also have a right to fresh olive oil? Of course we do! But the olive oil industry’s distribution system is designed to ship the oil as inexpensively as possible, via slow cargo ship, resulting in the widespread consumption on our shores of flat, subpar, even stale oil, regardless of the price you may be willing to pay.

I Was Determined to Find a Solution, and I Did

Several years ago, I became aware of some of the very greatest, freshest, most outrageously delicious olive oil in the world, from Sicily, which I consider one of the world’s most exciting olive oil regions.

Not unexpectedly, I learned that most of it is not available to us in America. So I called the producer to try and cajole him into further export...and to see if there were any way he could ship it here immediately by plane instead of the usual, ever-­so­-slow cargo ship method.

He told me that if I paid for the shipping, he would be delighted to do so, but needed a U.S. contact to handle the pesky details of importation, especially if I wanted it shipped by plane, since neither he nor any other producer he knew ever did that. He floored me by suggesting, “Why don’t you be the first to do it, T.J.? If you’ll be my importer, I’ll send you my best oil. And I will send it not by slow cargo ship, but by plane, so you and your friends in America can taste exactly the same fresh oils we celebrate at harvest time here in Sicily.”

This is something I’d never done, or even considered. I checked out the cost of shipping oil here by plane and, to my surprise, found that for small quantities, the cost is not prohibitive.

I was working in New York City as the Associate Editor of a popular food and wine newsletter at the time. Earlier in my career, I had also been a chef. So, thanks to those two jobs, I had access to hundreds of foodie friends and contacts. I asked them, “Would you be interested in trying authentic fresh­ pressed olive oil the likes of which you’ve never tasted?” Many said, “Sure!”

I mulled everything over and thought, “Why not?” This could be an opportunity to bring these outrageously flavorful oils at long last into the U.S., and I knew they would be a huge hit with my foodie friends.

Isn’t This How Vito Corleone Started?

Well, their response was overwhelming! My fresh-pressed oil had created a sensation. Foodies and chefs could not get over what a difference just-pressed freshness made in the flavor of their oil...and thus on their salads, their fish, their veggies, their grilled meats, and their beans. Everything you would normally sprinkle with ordinary gourmet store olive oil could now come gloriously alive with the flavors of fresh-pressed oil!

After the oil was gone, people started asking me—in some cases, begging!—for more. “T. J., you’ve spoiled us! You can’t give us a taste of paradise like this and then cut us off. We need more of that fresh­-pressed oil! We can’t wait a whole year until the next harvest in Sicily. You must find us more now, please!”

I found myself daydreaming...“What if I could find such harvest­-fresh, highest-­quality olive oil, made somewhere in the world, anywhere in the world, every three months or so—so that we could enjoy, year round, fresh­-pressed olive oil at the peak of its flavor and intensity? And what if I could arrange to have it shipped conveniently right to the front door of anyone who wants it?

“Is This Even Feasible?” I Asked Myself

Agriculturally, yes. Thanks to differences in climate, the annual harvest times are different the world over. For example, from the late summer to the early winter, someone, somewhere—in Italy, in Spain, in France, in Greece, in Tunisia, in Israel, in California, etc.—is pressing fresh olive oil.

But what about late winter to early summer? No problem, it turned out! Thanks to émigrés who left their Mediterranean homelands decades ago and smuggled prized olive tree cuttings out of their countries (often hidden in their ties to avoid arrest!), today some of the world’s greatest olive oil producers are flourishing in the Southern Hemisphere. That means that during the winter and up to early summer, we can obtain fresh, highest quality olive oil from the sun-kissed groves of Argentina, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, etc.

And so I did it—I took the plunge. I left my job at the food newsletter, jumped in with both feet, became The Olive Oil Hunter, and launched our exclusive club, The Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club.

This announcement is your invitation to join us on this wonderful, ever-so-much-fun adventure in the greatest taste and health benefits that the world’s freshest olive oils can bestow.

Four times a year—roughly in November, February, May and July—I travel the world, following the sun to sample hundreds of fresh-pressed olive oils right at harvest time in each olive-growing region. I pick out the top three, best-of-the best oils. Then I put my treasures on a jet plane and, after they land in America, have them bottled by hand and rushed right to your door by express delivery truck.

This is the kind of olive oil that the Italians call “novello,” though other countries don’t use the same term. In every case, no matter what the region of origin, I secure for our Club Members the freshest, most flavorful and healthiest olive oils available in the world, delivered at the peak of freshness and health benefits.

So when you become a Charter Member of The Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club, you can expect three bottles (you’ll have a choice of two sizes) of the world’s freshest olive oil to show up at your home four times a year. You will never have to expend a drop of energy, or waste a second of your precious time, in tracking down great olive oil. You will be, quite literally, one of the few people on the planet with a continual supply of just-pressed, insanely fresh olive oil!

Discover a World of Olive Oil Pleasures You’ve Never Dreamed of!

As in wine, the possible permutations of taste and texture in olive oil are infinite, and you will experience the finest of every variety as a Charter Member of The Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club.

Oh, what rich and varied delights await your palate! As you anticipate the pleasures about to come your way, keep in mind that the olive oil world is divided into two parts—oil made from unripe olives, and oil made from ripe olives. Exactly when the olives are picked —unripe, medium-ripe, ripe— makes all the difference in the character of the olive that’s pressed from them. And you will experience glorious examples all along the spectrum.

For example, you’ll taste the full character of the green olive oil that is such a favorite among olive oil lovers the world over. It’s made from green, or unripe, olives and is a treat for the eyes, with its highly attractive green-ish glint.

Then comes the flavor—variously described as grassy, herbaceous, fruity, and always intense. Lastly, this type of fresh-pressed oil has a “pepperiness” to it, which is most readily detectable as a sting in the back of the throat—highly desirable when the oil is being used to enliven food, just as pepper is desirable in the same way.

Every Region Produces Its Own Unique Flavors, Textures

As you’ll also discover, one of the great things about olive oil made from unripe olives is its fascinating variability.

Not unlike wine, which is dependent on terroir, olives, too, take on the character of the region where they’re grown. In green oil produced under the Tuscan sun, for example, you’ll experience a flavor that’s a lot like raw artichoke hearts—and connoisseurs of health drinks will readily recognize the strong flavor connection of Tuscan olive oil to wheatgrass.

Contrast this with another great “green” oil from the south of Spain, in Andalusia, where the wonderful Picual olive yields oils that are reminiscent of the stems and vines of ripe tomatoes.

And then there’s the terrific “green” Peloponnisos region of Greece, where the character of the oil seems to capture the very essence of green olives themselves.

In each case, the oil releases its bright, distinctive charms the moment it hits your tongue.

Olive Oils Made from Ripe, Black Olives Are Much Gentler, Milder . . . More Buttery

And I haven’t even begun to describe the rich attractions of fresh-pressed olive oil made from ripe olives—oil that is much gentler, milder, smoother, rounder. The look of it is different as well, usually a glimmering gold—from fat, precious drops squeezed out of black olives.

The two most famous regions for this kind of oil are Provence, in the south of France, and Liguria, where the French Riviera segues into the Italian Riviera. Of the oils from both places, one would say they are mildly fruity, soft, and—most important—buttery, both in texture and flavor.

These milder, ripe-olive olive oils will earn their own special place in your menu planning. When you receive them, they will be perfect for foods with subtle flavors that you don’t want to overpower. Fish, for example. Were you to pour a green olive oil over a piece of steamed halibut, you would not taste the fish at all. Golden Provençal oil, however, will layer a mild patina of buttery flavor over the snowy white flesh, perfectly preserving the taste of the ocean.

As a member of The Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club you will quickly become a connoisseur of the finest fresh-pressed olive oils from all over the world! Every new bottle will be a delicious adventure in olive oil appreciation, accompanied by the Club’s tasting notes, recipes, and recommendations for use.

RSVP TODAY!

If you’d like to become a Charter Member of The Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club, please let me know right away, so we’ll have enough time to make the arrangements with our artisanal producers in time for the next harvest and shipping dates. I’ll make your life simple by offering just two options. All you have to do is pick one of the following options...

Option #1, Best Value: 500-ml Set: A large set of three 500-ml (16.9 ounce) fresh-pressed supreme extra virgin olive oil for only $124 per quarter (plus $15 shipping and handling). This works out to one 500ml (16.9 ounce) fresh-pressed bottle per month.

Option #2, Excellent Value: 250-ml Set: A smaller set of three 250-ml (8.45 ounce) bottles of fresh-pressed supreme extra virgin olive oil for only $87 per quarter (plus $12 shipping and handling). This works out to one 250ml (8.45 ounce) fresh-pressed bottle per month.

Whichever option you select, your oils will be accompanied by my “Pressing Report,” describing the producer, olive varieties, regions, harvest and delivery details of your shipment. You will also receive our tasting notes for each oil, a game plan for an olive-oil tasting party, and suggestions for ways to enjoy each of the oils, emphasizing seasonal recipes and traditional uses.

Never a “Minimum Commitment” . . . And You Can Cancel at Any Time

There is no minimum number of quarters that you must enroll for, and you can cancel your membership at any time. Moreover, every quarterly shipment is protected by our 100% money-back guarantee. Just let us know if you’re dissatisfied with your selections for any reason, and you’ll receive 100% of your money back for that shipment, no questions asked. So you risk absolutely nothing—unless, of course, you let this chance slip by, in which case you’ll be missing the opportunity to secure your own private, continuous source of rare, fresh-pressed olive oil, so few drops of which ever reach our shores!

The offer we’re presenting here is available nowhere else—not in stores, catalogs, anywhere. Indeed, I don’t know of any other service in the world that delivers precious fresh-pressed olive oils right to your door quarterly. This is truly a first, and you can be a Charter Member of the world’s first such Club!

You Will Be Amazed by Their Flavor And So Will Your Guests!

I urge you to be among the handful of Americans who will be able to enjoy these great fresh oils without needing your own private jet and pilot to whisk you around the globe. It means you need never again settle for mediocre, flat or stale olive oil! You can now let the dishes you serve be dramatically enhanced by these oils’ lively, vibrant flavors and quality. And, if you can ever part with one of your treasured bottles, think of what a fabulous, exclusive and personal gift it would make for a foodie friend who would have no other way to experience such taste!

Similarly, this is one of those little luxuries, at a most reasonable price, that can add such delight and satisfaction and comfort to every meal you serve and partake. We all deserve such simple daily pleasure these days!

What inspires me to say that?

Perhaps you have traveled to Italy or other lands, where the culture encourages people to celebrate the pleasure of being alive, of taking time from the daily grind and our everyday cares to appreciate friends and family, to celebrate fine food and drink at mealtime.

Perhaps you’ve noticed, as have I, how this attitude adds a little sparkle and romance to daily life that we in America usually forego, with our noses so close to the grindstone and our thoughts so often on tomorrow and not the pleasure of the moment. Well, for me, one way I intend to bring more simple, daily pleasure into my life is to indulge myself with these gloriously flavorful, ever-so-healthy fresh-pressed olive oils whenever I wish. This Club brings you so much dining pleasure at such reasonable cost. Indeed, these fresh-pressed, super-healthy oils can add vibrant flavor and nutritional goodness to more than 100 meals over the next three months for less than the price of a single dinner at a restaurant!

If you appreciate the value that such a delightful daily pleasure can represent, I invite you to join me in this exciting adventure, our year-long, follow-the-sun quest for the greatest and freshest olive oils in the world, as you vicariously travel the globe with me to capture this precious liquid gold. Who can resist such great taste and such great fun?

P.S. Please provide your actual street address on the Order Form, and not a PO box, as FedEx and UPS cannot deliver to a PO box address. The overnight shipping companies we use also need your phone number, in case they have a question about delivery. Thank you!

Click Here to Enroll in Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club