8. Mechanism Example - Olive Oil

Unique Mechanism Example: Olive Oil of the Month Club

https://www.freshpressedoliveoil.com/c/APMG041_Q218/tj

I. Mechanism Behind The Problem
Olive oil, unlike wine, does not improve with time. Just the opposite! It’s at its peak of nutritional perfection and flavor immediately after it’s pressed! Olives, after all, are a fruit, and olive oil is a fruit juice. Just as with any other fruit juice, it’s most delicious when fresh-pressed, and that’s when you want to enjoy it.

But virtually none of the fresh-pressed olive oil from Italy—or any other great olive-growing country—ever makes it to our shores. The reason is that shipping by air is prohibitively expensive. As a result, virtually all the olive oils sent to the U.S. travel here by molasses-slow cargo ship. Adding insult to injury, many oils are shipped months—maybe even a year!—after pressing.

Moreover, olive oil is not shipped as perishable food. To save money, producers send it in container ships along with scores of manufactured goods—cars, machinery, whatever—and the oils are subjected to brutal conditions, and, worst of all, delays.

There are flavor-sapping delays at every port of call on its long ocean voyage while sitting at anchor in the harbor waiting for customs inspections and FDA approval before admittance. Then there are further delays at the docks, in trucking transport, and in warehouses before eventual distribution to local stores. Then these oils may sit yet additional weeks, months, or even years on shelves under fluorescent lights, which also destroy flavor and precious, perishable nutrients.

And now you know why the producers of ordinary olive oils seldom if ever print a “Harvest” date (sometimes also called the “Pressing” date) on their labels. Sure, they will print a “Best Used By” date,” but not the harvest date. I suspect they want to extend shelf life as long as possible. They realize that savvy olive oil lovers prize freshness above all else, and they don’t want to give you any hint as to how old and stale their oils may be after their torturously slow journey from overseas to your shopping cart.

II. Mechanism Behind The Solution
Long story short, that’s how I founded the Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club. I realized that if I were willing to break with the tradition of shipping olive oil by slow cargo ship and instead rush it to America by jet, direct from the new harvest of each olive-growing country, I could be the first to bring authentic fresh-pressed oil to foodies here in America all year round!

Four times a year—roughly in November, February, May, and August—I travel the world, stalking the global olive groves to sample hundreds of fresh-pressed olive oils right at the peak of their harvest-fresh flavor.

My trusted sources in these faraway olive groves—established over my years of globetrotting— include hundreds of the finest boutique producers and traditional family-owned estates whose oils are proud local treasures. These oils are normally produced in small, exclusive batches and reserved for high-end restaurants and a gourmet clientele in their own locales. Many are the top award winners in regional olive oil competitions. They are virtually never shipped to the U.S.

When I arrive at these harvests, the most respected artisanal producers roll out the welcome mat for me. They know I represent Club members who are the most discriminating olive oil aficionados in America and who fully appreciate fresh and exquisitely flavorful oils. Indeed, our Club’s membership consists of many chefs, high-end restaurants and hotels, as well as a wide array of gourmets, foodies, and health-conscious individuals from every walk of life who insist on enjoying—and serving their lucky guests—the most flavorful and healthiest olive oils on earth.

Our Club’s demanding reputation precedes me, and I usually find myself being treated like a visiting raja. The region’s top artisanal producers vie with one another to bring me dozens of their finest fresh-pressed oils to make me smile with pleasure. From there, I choose the three brightest, most flavorful oils. Then I race my newfound treasures at the peak of their harvest-flavor and nutritional goodness to the U.S. by jet plane, and then right to your front door by rush delivery. The result is that, as a Club member, you get to enjoy what only a tiny handful of Americans ever get to experience—true fresh-pressed olive oil and all its amazing taste and health benefits, rushed to you straight from the latest harvest.