As a specialty foods producer known for great tasting Pestos and Tapenades, we have always relied on the finest Extra Virgin Olive Oils to give our products that extra special flavor edge. Until now, this has always meant using European Extra Virgin Olive Oils, something that frankly, troubled our conscience.  Like most folks in the U.S. these days, we’d like to stay a little more local than Spain, Italy or Greece (and yes, we think “local” can be relative).

But we are fussy tasters and so are our customers. Whenever we’ve tried to switch to a US product, we’ve been disappointed. When it came to this side of the Atlantic (or Pacific for that matter) we just never found a high-volume producer who could offer the big, buttery, fruity oils we love – the ones that smell and taste like real olives and that add so much flavor to our products.

So we are especially delighted to announce that a few months ago, we were introduced to the wonderful folks at California Olive Ranch. After a few weeks of tasting and testing, we were happy to make them the exclusive supplier of all the extra virgin Olive Oil we use. These ranchers not only grow their own, they press it too – and within hours of harvest. One taste of any of their EVOOs and you’ll see the difference. We’ve chosen to use the Arbequina as our “finishing” oil, but the “Everyday” EVOO would be a great choice for many home cooking purposes.

Ciolo is committed to quality so we are constantly searching for the best ingredients. If they happen to be closer to home, all the better.

If you haven’t tried one of our Pestos or Tapenades lately, give them a taste. They are now better than ever!