6 minute read
Local Cravings: The Main Olive
LOCAL CRAVINGS
THE MAIN OLIVE
There is something undeniably charming about The Main Olive. The exposed brick wall and silver tin ceiling draw you into the store where your eyes wander about the dark bottles of various heights and silver canisters on top wooden shelves. Glass jars filled with savory spreads carry names like “Raspberry Salsa” and “Monkey Butter.” They share shelf space with bags of BBQ rubs and bottles of local honey. It’s a delight for your eyes and taste buds.
Jordan and Morgan Acton have a passion for food and have spent years traveling the southeast exploring farmers’ markets and gourmet food venues. “We both love to cook and love to talk about food,” Jordan says. In 2016 they combined that knowledge and a desire to do something entrepreneurial into opening their own business. Jordan shared, “We thought, let’s give it a go in downtown Oxford and do something we both really enjoy.”
That joy became The Main Olive–a gourmet food store where you can enjoy complex flavors of infused olives oils–and Jordan will happily tell you why their oils are the freshest available. “People don’t realize light breaks down olive oil. When it’s sitting in a plastic container on a grocery store shelf, it starts to break down. The quality is extremely diminished even before you get it home. But here at The Main Olive, our oils are shipped to us in closed dark containers. We display our oils in stainless steel containers called fustis. The oils are protected from light, and it extends the shelf life, so our customers end up with a really fresh olive oil,” she said.
A variety of flavored olive oil and balsamic vinegar on display in stainless steel fustis.
Once selected, your oil is dispensed into a dark glass bottle to preserve freshness.
“We have about 60 varieties of extra virgin olive oils, fused and infused olive oils, and dark and white balsamic vinegar,” Jordan explained. “Since we opened, we have tripled our jarred goods. That would be our unique salsas, jams, and jellies. We try to cater to the unique.”
When asked about her top seller, she was quick to answer, “The best-selling item in the entire store is our Tuscan Herb Olive Oil. It is infused with garlic, oregano, and sundried tomatoes. It’s hugely popular. We sell it four-to-one over any other flavor.”
Every single day, customers can taste any of the olive oils and vinegar. On Saturdays, the store offers customers to sample their salsa and jellies. Jordan is happy to share tips and recipes with customers. You can hear the passion in her voice as she talks about her own baking. “I make blood-orange brownies with our blood-orange olive oil,” Jordan shares. “I love balsamic fudges and olive oil cakes. In the summertime, we have olive oil ice cream. It’s delicious!”
With more people discovering the shop, Jordan takes advantage of each opportunity to talk to new customers. Answering questions, suggesting a flavor, and listening to concerns of shoppers is key to their growing success.
“I discovered we kind-of live in a fig-crazy town. We sell a lot of fig balsamic vinegar. Fig jam is one of our top sellers. ‘FROG’ Jam made from fig, raspberry, orange, and ginger is our most popular jam. We have customers that pick up a jar just for the funny name but then come back in a few days and say they loved it, the kids loved it, and they buy six to seven jars for all their friends.”
Competing as a small business in the world of online sales and corporate grocery stores can keep you up at night. Jordan used the expression of “growing pains” to describe the struggles of the past three years. “We go through up months and down months. I have a slow week followed by a really, really great day. The business has been fortunate to always come out on top but going through the growing pains while we build our customer base is tough,” she explained.
Personal attention is the realm where Jordan and Morgan really shine. Combining their love for food and knowledge of olive oil into a presentation they share with others has been an avenue to gain customers. They have traveled to homes, libraries, and museums with samples to share. They enjoy hosting olive oil tastings and speaking about what constitutes an extra-virgin oil, the history of balsamic vinegar, and the aging process.
You cannot stage the enthusiasm that comes from Jordan as she takes you around the shop. She is happy with their progress and hopeful about the future. “We are looking to expand into craft beers and wine. We want to hold cooking classes here in the store,” she says. “Some people can find the olive oils and vinegar intimidating, but they are simple to use.”
Jordan Acton and her husband Morgan own the The Main Olive.
The Main Olive 101 with Jordan
Q: Why is olive oil considered a healthy oil? A: Polyphenols are what makes olive oil good for you. Polyphenols help fight against diseases like heart disease, high blood pressure, and cholesterol. But as you cook it, they break down. You have more health benefits if you use it cold.
Q: Tell me about the Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) you offer in the store? A: The company we go through hand-pick all the olives. They have a large crew that goes through and pull all the good olives off the trees. The oil is produced by pressing whole olives, and that first oil is extra virgin. That’s what we have in our store.
The supply of extra virgin oils changes seasonally. Different hemispheres harvest at different times, so we always try to get the freshest available. Every four months or so, our EVOO changes in their country of origin. It could be California, Italy, or Chile.
We always carry a selection of three extra virgin oils: mild, medium, and robust.
Q: How should you keep your oils at home? A: We dispense our oils and vinegar into dark bottles and encourage customers to keep them in the pantry. It likes to be room-temperature and in the dark. How you take care of your olive oil determines how long the flavors will last.
Q: Fused vs. Infused olive oil? A: Most of our flavored oils come from Spain. Infused—the flavors are added after the olives are crushed. Fused—the herbs and flavors are added while the olives are crushed.
Q: Dark Balsamic vs. White Balsamic? A: Dark Balsamic is made from red grapes, and White Balsamic is made from green grapes. The grape musk is aged in barrels, and where you want a really fresh olive oil, you want an older balsamic vinegar. Our balsamics are aged 18 years but we also have a special balsamic that is aged 25 years.
Q: What are your Specialty Oils? A: We carry Walnut Oil, Japanese Roasted Sesame, and Black Truffle Oil
Q: You talk a lot about making marinades and salad dressings. Do you have a favorite? A: We have so many, I can’t pick just one. For a savory marinade, we recommend Black Cherry Balsamic and Herbes de Provence Olive Oil in a 50/50 mix. It’s great on pork and chicken. We have an Espresso Balsamic that is a little more unique. It is excellent as a steak marinade. It is also excellent on ice cream. For a citrusy salad dressing, we blend the Persian Lime Olive Oil and Fig Balsamic. The world will tell you 2/3 oil to 1/3 vinegar, but I like to flip that ratio. Another good one is the Pineapple Balsamic and the Blood Orange Olive Oil. A great summertime dressing! My husband likes the Dark Chocolate Balsamic and the Chipotle Olive Oil for a sweet-spicy salad dressing. We have sold a lot of that combination.
Q: Tell us the “must-try” items at The Main Olive. A: Customer favorites in each category are the Tuscan Herb Olive Oil, Fig Balsamic, Frog Jam, and Bacon Salsa.
THE MAIN OLIVE | 508 MAIN STREET, OXFORD 36203 | 256-454-1107 10 TO 5 WEDNESDAY – FRIDAY. 10 TO 2 SATURDAY MORGAN & JORDAN ACTON | GIFT BASKETS | WE SHIP LOCALLY AND OUT-OF-STATE
