There are no road maps for small businesses. Small businesses cannot sit still. New business is critical for long-term success. And in this climate of continual movement and business development, success or failure results from variables many times not fully recognized or understood. Many times, small businesses have to “fly by the seat of their pants” with only the general direction under control. For many entrepreneurs, the elements of uncertainty and flexibility make owning and running a small business exhilarating and fun. The only certainty is that you have to continually hustle to make it.
A year ago, as the owner operator of GringoCool, I decided to offer a Spanish, organic extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) in the US market. There was no road map for this effort. I had only the belief that US customers could benefit from a transparent Spanish source of EVOO. For years, the world of olive oil has suffered from scandals and corruption and by some estimates, as much as 60% of the EVOO sold in the States does not meet industry standards. Over the years, US consumers have bought expensive, pretty bottles of Italian and Greek EVOO with no certainty that the product is actually extra virgin olive oil. The US consumers can benefit from a company that works directly with Spanish olive mills to identify, bottle and import, high quality, Spanish EVOO. By cutting out all middlemen, customers can be certain they are purchasing the “real deal” – top quality extra virgin olive oil.
There are four elements to assuring top quality product for the US market.
Trust is elementary:
Strong, healthy business relationships are fundamental to assure top quality EVOO. You must work with people you trust.
Industry knowledge:
Olive oil production is not rocket science but it does require dedication and a continual effort to stay up to date agricultural conditions as well as the market landscape. You have to have the best harvest and market information available.
The Right Team:
It is important to involve the right experts in each phase of bringing an EVOO to market. The first step is to involve people that understand the US market in the selection of the extra virgin olive oils.
A Plan:
To best utilize resources there must be a plan. Entering the US market is a multi-year task. The clarity of goals along with steps for accomplishing them is fundamental.
Hard at work finding the new EVOOs for 2017
Last spring at about this time, the first steps were underway to develop Cold Pressed Elixir – which is GringoCool’s first 100% organic, extra virgin olive oil launched into the US market. Over the last 6 months, Cold Pressed Elixir has quickly turned into a top seller.
This year steps are underway with the selection of our 2017 100% organic EVOO. In addition, due to an expressed interest by many customers, GringoCool will offer a less intense extra virgin olive oil – probably an EVOO from hojiblanca or albequino varieties of olives. Over the next several years, GringoCool will endeavor to provide a range of extra virgin olive oils, to address the palate of each of our customers.
Thanks for reading. We welcome comments and suggestions. And please remember, you can find our top quality, Spanish 100% organic extra virgin olive oil at our online store and also on amazon. Cheerio – Steve
