Florio’s Olive Oil Co.

FOOD LOVERS CONTINUE TO BUY specialty items despite the recession.

Though some gourmands are more price conscious, their cravings for healthy food
is hard to resist.

Enter Neil Sarchett, a young entrepreneur who opened Florio’s Olive Oil Co. in downtown Grass Valley last summer. Undaunted by the downturn, Neil saw a market for unique, gourmet products, and he’s also come up with an affordable theme— olive oil and balsamic vinegar bars.

“I had to jump in, and it proved to be the right time,” says Neil, who named his store after his great grandmother from Sicily. Neil previously was retail general manager of Dorado Chocolates, where he became immersed in the specialty food world.

Florio’s focuses on all-natural items, without preservatives or artificial flavors. His store carries durum wheat pastas, tapenades, imported mustards, marinades and sauces, and sea salts.

Neil keeps adding items too, such as “Hot Lips Soda,” an all natural, lightly carbonated fruit juice soda.

He also holds food and wine pairing events with foothills wineries, including a recent one with Sierra Knolls.

Florio’s “pièce de résistance,” at least to the editors of FoodWineArt, is an olive oil bar where customers can choose their favorite blends and fill them up in a handsome looking bottle.

The olive oil comes from boutique producers in the foothills, and it is infused with flavors such as blood orange, Persian lime, Meyer lemon and rosemary. The oil is stored in Italian-made stainless fustis to keep it fresh for bottling.

“I made pizza dough with some olive oil from your store,” said one customer. “It was the best I’ve ever made.”

Florio’s also offers a California balsamic vinegar bar. Flavors include fig, strawberry and D’Anjou pear.

Buying in bulk costs less and reduces packaging waste, a popular trend nowadays. “It’s really taken off,” says Neil. “We started with five fustis, and now we’re up to a dozen.”

Florio’s Olive Oil Co.
123 Mill St., Grass Valley
530-273-5940