Old World Olive Press Promotes Healthy Living with Healthy Products

After working with the company for almost three years, the thing Old World Olive Press Manager Kristin Holmes likes most is talking to people about eating healthier. 

"The company's focus really is on health - healthy living, healthy products and what these (products) can do to help you in your quest for that," Holmes said. "And plus, it's delicious - and they're fun to play with."

Old World Olive Press will celebrate its third year in downtown Plymouth this June. The company also has stores in Birmingham, Grand Rapids and Rockford. The stores feature more than 50 extra virgin olive oils and balsamic vinegars.

"I love the product," Holmes said. "It's a fabulous product for a really, really good price. All of our olive oils are tested to make sure they fall into the extra virgin olive oil range. That's a big issue right now, there's been a lot of news stories about what you're buying in the stores is extra virgin olive oil and it's not - we list all the important parts of the compounds. So when you come in here, you know what you're buying is fresh and you know that it is extra virgin olive oil. It's all certified."

Holmes said she enjoys talking to people, encouraging them to get saturated fats out of their diets.

"We even have a butter flavored oil," she said. "So if you're a big butter lover, you can still get butter flavor, but have the healthy fat."

According to Holmes, the most popular product in the store is the 18 Year Traditional Balsamic Vinegar. Test bottles sit out on the counter inside the shop, so customers can try the different flavors. 

"People come in and go, 'well, I don't want to taste vinegar,' but it's good," she said. "Even when you go in and buy balsamic vinegar in the grocery store, it does not taste like this. This is thick, it's sweet. It's barrel aged down for 18 years, and so as the moisture evaporates, it concentrates. You can buy balsamics that are aged for 50-60 years."

Holmes said the product tastes great drizzled on steak or even mixed into hamburger meat, then made into burgers. 

"It's also delicious over berries, so in sweet applications, you marinate the berries and then put them over cake or ice cream," she said. "And it's great for a vinaigrette because you should never by bottled dressing. It's not good for you - this is good for you."

Old World Olive Press features a recipe of the month kit that includes all the products needed to make the highlighted dish. They also hold cooking demonstrations to help people learn to use the products. 

For more information about Old World Olive Press and the different oils and vinegars, visit them online at www.oldworldolivepress.com.