Launching a food brand, especially an olive oil company, is not for the faint of heart as the category is full of cooking oil options for consumers, Benin acknowledged, who said he was quickly humiliated when the business was first started.
After falling in love with the quality and abundance of olive oil after living in Spain with his wife and family, Benin had a tasting of Spanish olive oil which he brought back from Spain with Gramercy Tavern Executive Chef Michael Anthony.
“Mike really put me back in my place and said, ‘You know what America doesn’t need? Another luxury olive oil supplier candle a small estate and no one can afford it, and it is not evolving. I have ten of you in this postcode, if I want to smuggle a good olive oil smuggled from Italy into a suitcase … I really think what we need is this product, but for everyone. And it completely changed my way of thinking “”,Told Benin.
“We decided to create a totally different olive oil business. It is visually different, functionally different and aesthetically different, and we designed it to be for everyone,”said Benin.
“It’s olive oil for everyone.”Have
Using only Picual olives – a varietal little used in the US olive oil market, according to Benin – from a supplier from the Andalusian region to Spain, Benin and COO and co-founder Allen Dushi set out to create an affordable, high-quality product. extra virgin olive oil.
“We don’t put a lot of varietal emphasis in our brand message. But we still compare our oil to gold medal olive oil in the world, but we are really presented as a non-heritage company and not luxurious, “says Benin.
Asked how the brand manages to keep its prices competitive, Benin said: “Honestly, the prices were pretty easy. We bought a ton of olive oil. We have it in stock and we ship it as needed.”Have
Sizzle, Drizzle … and later, Frizzle
Its first two products, Sizzle and Drizzle, are priced at $ 20 for a 16.9 fluid ounce bottle and $ 15 for a 25.3 fluid ounce bottle, respectively. The two products are intended to perform different functions in the kitchen, Benin noted.
“Sizzle is your everyday cooking oil for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Drizzle is an olive oil harvested earlier that is richer in polyphenols and antioxidants (i.e. a finishing oil), we strongly recommend that you do not cook (at high heat) with it, “Benin explained.
The company plans to launch a third product, “Frizzle,” which will be the company’s most affordable cooking oil option designed to directly compete with canola and vegetable oil.
“The squeeze bottle has been a crazy time”
Determined not to be another brand of olive oil on the shelves, Benin and Dushi knew their packaging not only had to stand out, but be completely unprecedented for the category. The two therefore settled on an opaque squeeze bottle (to protect the oil from light) which is meant to make cooking easier for all level chefs.
“The squeeze bottle has been a crazy time”says Benin.
“The bottle is the first squeeze bottle to come to market in our category. We own the molds. We’re also going to be the first induction seal for which we have a patent pending. It’s a big risk, but I think it’s by far enough the tool of choice for every kitchen in North America.We think it’s a really fun empowerment for a home chef in the kitchen.Have
Branding is also a key differentiator for the brand. Graza bottles feature playful illustrations on each of its labels.
“It evokes a feeling of relaxation. We focus on the cook and the craziness that goes on in the kitchen. “says Benin.
Retail Plans: “From day one we built this business for physical retail”
Graza was launched online for its debut, but Benin said it wouldn’t be long before it ramped up its brick-and-mortar retail distribution plans.
“Everything about this business was designed for physical retail, because that’s where people buy olive oil,”says Benin.
The brand is currently on the shelves at Yowie, a trendy Philadelphia-based design store and at the James Beard-nominated Suerte restaurant in Austin, TX.
Graza is in the process of growing its business footprint with the support of health food distributor KeHe and has been accepted into the KeHe Elevate program to further maximize its distribution growth and brand awareness.
“There is a lot of love for the perimeter of the store, but so little innovation between the aisles. From day one, we’ve built this business for physical retail. “says Benin.