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Bea Olive Oil, Tuscany & NYC

@beaoliveoil

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1 batch of fresh oil once a year
Cold pressed within hours of harvest
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In 2022, I worked as an olive picker on small family groves in Italy. The first time I tasted oil made from olives we had picked and pressed that same day I was stunned; it was unlike anything I had ever experienced. When I asked a farmer how much he sells it for, he laughed and said, “Oh, Bea, we barely sell this oil. Many in the village make their own, and we don’t have the resources to get it to a city like Florence, let alone the U.S.”

That season, I learned what it takes to produce truly high-quality olive oil and the shortcuts commonly used to maximize profits. It did not make sense to me that so many families and small-scale producers had incredible olive oil but no way to share it beyond their villages, while olive oil remains the most counterfeited food in the world and what’s commonly offered in the U.S. falls far short.

Two years later, Bea Olive Oil (pronounced Bay-uh, as these families call me) works with small Tuscan farmers to bring you the same oil these families put on their table. I harvest the olives, press, bottle, and label, alongside these families, which I have learned is the best way to navigate the industry in good health. Every harvest reveals the desires and struggles of the people working the land which shape the focus of Bea Olive Oil. We have several projects on the horizon, such as assisting small growers and mills across Tuscany with FDA approval to send their extraordinary oil to the U.S.
Quality above all else; the work of my hands and my heart.

*All photos are our own
*Farmers pictured gave permission
*Harvest content by my talented sister and visual scribe @janettekarp taken in Tuscany, Italy by @beaoliveoil

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2 years ago

Making olive oil is a series of decisions. We believe in “quality above all else,” meaning that every choice is driven by a commitment to bring the highest quality Italian olive oil to the U.S. Here are the main factors we consider:

Where we grow: Our groves are surrounded by residential areas, not industrial zones, which impacts soil quality. Just because your olives are organic, does not mean your neighbors’ are!

When we pick: Harvesting early, but still at peak of ripeness ensures optimal flavor and a matured, high polyphenol content. Polyphenol antioxidants don’t just protect the oil; they’re also the source of health benefits such as anti-inflammatory, brain and gut health, and anti-cancer properties.

How we pick: We hand-pick and use “ticklers” for gentle harvesting. Tractor harvesting can crush olives, speeding oxidation and degrading flavor.

When we press: Olives must be pressed within hours of picking to preserve freshness and prevent degradation. Think of it like a fruit coming off the tree to make juice!

Where we press: Our private frantoios (press) accept only a few pre-approved friends based on the quality of their olives. This rarity ensures no cross-contamination with non-organic olives. To maintain purity, all machines are meticulously cleaned between batches, preventing any residual pulp from previous presses.

How we press: We use a 2-phase system that relies solely on the natural moisture in the olives. This prevents the dilution of polyphenols and antioxidants.

How we store: Pressurized stainless steel tanks protect the oil from heat, light, and oxygen before bottling, preserving its flavor and nutrients.

How we ship: This batch shipped via priority air. I want my customers to experience oil from olives that were picked only days ago, versus olive oil on U.S. shelves, which can be years old.

Olive varietals: We select high-polyphenol varietals like Frantoio and Moraiolo, prized for their robust flavor and health benefits.

The bottle: We choose heavy, dark glass bottles to protect the oil from light, even though they cost more to buy and ship. The non-removable spigot ensures no one can refill the bottle with other oils. taken in Tuscany, Italy by @beaoliveoil

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2 years ago

We threw our olio nuovo celebration in December and I forgot it was “for my company.” It felt like a group operation: boxes moving hand to hand, scurrying through the snow in fur, ponytails swaying ahead of me as we tried to beat a narrow window of time.

Thank you to @peroninastroazzurro and @hamptonwater for keeping people hydrated, and to my friend Mario, @shorelinemeadco, who turns organic honey into sparkling wine and poured his mead for everyone. Coordinating the arrival of everything led me through the back passages of NYC hospitality storage rooms and bars, people helping load dollies all day. It reminded me of growing up in the restaurant industry and seeing the physical infrastructure behind what it takes to keep people fed.

The party fell on the first night of Chanukah. What better way than to celebrate with oil. Freezing Sunday on the first blizzard of the year. Two hundred people showed up anyway. People from my childhood. Trains from Virginia. Flights moved just to be there. Every person I spoke with, I thought I could have easily sat down and chatted with for hours.

The first three guests to arrive - Sheryl, Mikey, and Crystal, just started slicing bread. At one point Tara came up to me and said, “It’s time to bring out the cake. I’m going to do that, ok?”

My favorite touch of the evening was that we wrapped each bottle in Italian newspaper from the village where we pick the olives. I went from newsstand to newsstand in Tuscany, asking to buy papers; most people just handed me yesterday’s. I carried them back in my suitcase for the party taken in Tuscany, Italy by @beaoliveoil

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6 months ago

Sometimes all the freight and customs forms and episodes become such a bother that I take the afternoon off for putzing.

In Italy, putzing is folded into the day’s natural movement.

In New York, putzing means playing dress-up with no destination, trying a new cream, write the thank you note, put the racquet back in the bag, adding some olive oil to my cheek bones, to the ends of my hair too, eating a little cucumber snack with some oil and flaky salt atop, trying on the dress, emptying the chair, does rouge suit me? Let me check.. throwing out these sunglasses I never wear, I’ve found a notebook from a course I loved, and I’m reading it, there’s a note in the margin I should expand on..another time. Peter Sarstedt comes on..nicehave not heard him in a bit,let’s have a stretch, take out the trash, im still in my slippers, I step out for a minute, put moms earrings in a safe place, there’s a knock knock knock on the window heyy come on in! Your oil is right on the table {...} , back to the rouge, planning outfits for nothing, stewing apples, should I wear this nightgown as a normal dress tomorrow evening, olive oil on the cuticles, is the burner still on? umbrella back on its hook, no, guasha back with its others, this skirt is brilliant, candles out lit a new one, what about that bag, no it would add to the clutter, beautiful that I didn’t get it, just poured the last drop of oil, what if i made this bottle of Bea into a candle, searching glass cutters, coconut oil to the shins, rosemary oil on the scalp, wearing high heels to the kitchen, another thought has crossed my mind I must write down..song lyric from somewhere into the quote book, watching video about traditional Chinese medicine, Or as they say,,, I love being a woman by @beaoliveoil

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6 months ago

We’ve been sharing olive oil for one year.

I could try, but I think Tolstoy said it best:

“My life now, my whole life, regardless of what may happen to me, every minute of it, is not only not meaningless, as it was before, but has the unquestionable meaning of the good which I have it in my power to put into it.” taken in Siena, Toscana, Italy by @beaoliveoil

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6 months ago

I think it is fascinating that in such a divided world, nobody seems to disagree about olive oil.

In the Torah, olive oil is required to be pure and “first-press” to light the menorah; kings and priests were anointed with it as a concrete legal and spiritual act. Rabbinic texts link olive oil to intellect and wisdom and “opening the heart”. In the Bible, it’s food, fuel, and medicine..oil for lamps, for healing, for daily care. In the Quran, the olive tree is described as blessed, “neither of the East nor of the West.”

In ancient Greece, athletes used olive oil to protect their skin and clean their bodies; Olive oil was awarded as prize money in early athletic competitions. families measured wealth in oil reserves; Hippocrates prescribed it for wounds and digestion. In North Africa olive trees were passed down through families as long-term sources of sustenance and stability. In Italy ancient Etruscan women used it in cosmetic and funerary rituals. Roman roads and settlements were often planned around olive groves. Olive trees were planted to celebrate births, land ownership, and peace treaties.

It is cool to be part of something unifying and rare in its uncontested love taken in Siena, Toscana, Italy by @beaoliveoil

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7 months ago

It makes me laugh when we sit down to fingerprint the bottles, because the farmers are quite critical of their own prints. They often want a “re-do” for a few and tell me we should try again with more water.

This is Athos. He’s the former mayor of his village and was on the founding board of the Terre di Siena certification for olive oil origin. He’s one of the farmers behind our unfiltered oil and has been incredibly helpful in mapping abandoned olive groves in the area, explaining many issues that the land faces, as well as connecting us with other farmers who want to be involved. This is crucial for us as we plan to scale regionally, working with neighbors in the same village who all receive the same angle of sunlight, similar soil & olive varietals, and just use 1 food facility to press it.

Athos is also a dreamer. He recently wrote a book about his upbringing in the village. He has a quote in his kitchen about the environmental protections an Olive tree should have. He has Dante on his bookshelves. Even though he lives in a small village, he has ideas and organizing principles about how we can upkeep culture and tradition.

I’ve always loved how classic he is.. he’s careful to explain which cheese goes with which bread and why. He appreciates what has always been .
That’s why it’s fun when you’re able to choose your bottle in person, at events and pickups…each one marked by a different print, farmer, idiosyncrasies, beliefs. taken in Tuscany, Italy by @beaoliveoil

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7 months ago

Francesco prefers a filtered oil for its pure flavor..so much so that we pass the oil through the filter not once, but twice. Thick slabs of paper or cotton gently catch the remaining sediments, which gives the oil a clean, precise, and bright finish.

Not all filtration is the same. Large production mechanical systems rely on high pressure, and aggressive centrifuges, which strip aromatics and mute flavor. We filter our oil slowly and gently using gravity so the character of the oil remains intact.

In the retail world, filtration is often an instrument to extend shelf life. An unfiltered oil generally lasts about a year to a year and a half, until a small layer of sediment begins to climb the bottle and eventually overtakes it, which makes it a rarity to find in the states.

I did not originally intend for Bea Olive Oil to have two different oils, but I learned the difficult way that when dealing with a production this level of organic, we need to diversify regions - in case there is too much rain in one valley, a wind storm that knocks all the olives in another, etc. The farmers in Siena had two non-negotiable rules for me: “you cannot bottle the oil in plastic”, which taints quality, and “you cannot filter the oil.”

For Athos, shelf life isn’t a concern: he makes enough oil for himself for the year and by the time he runs out of oil, it’s time to make a new batch. In his eyes, filtering removes some of the nutrients he worked all season to produce.
So I said ok great, that one is “The Unfiltered”.

The Unfiltered is intentionally left as it is: cloudy, velvety, soft, and smooth. If you hold the bottle up to the light, you’ll see the oil move slowly, with natural sediment drifting through it. It’s alive. For this oil, we use butterier olive varieties from Siena that shine in their unfiltered form.

“The Filtered”, on the other hand, is quicker, brighter, and more precise. For this oil, we use grassier fruitier olive varieties from Florence that benefit from filtration, allowing their sharp, green notes to come through cleanly. taken in Tuscany, Italy by @beaoliveoil

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7 months ago

A lot of people react when I tell them my story, going from cybersecurity to picking olives, with, “Wow, that’s a jump!” I laugh, and it’s true, yet I do find myself using similar brain patterns.

I used to be on an ethical hacking team, and the first day of the position it was explained to me that “in order to break into a computer you have to know exactly how it’s organized”.

When I decided to commit to Bea Olive oil i typed into Google “how do you get a random farm in Tuscany FDA approved.” The results were flooded with agencies charging thousands of dollars for the process, something that wasn’t an option for my self-funded company.

So, I ended up learning the laws. The UI/UX experience of navigating the approval process was overwhelming, and I spent many late nights on the phone with the Italian press trying to obtain accurate information. When i returned to Italy and told them I had figured out the process, their initial response was we would love to but the FDA approval costs thousands of dollars and that price would be everything we make in a year’s time. I explained it them we can do it for free if we know how. I learned that third-party agencies charging exorbitant fees for FDA approval are one of the main barriers preventing small-batch olive oil producers from selling in the USA.

I turned this challenge into one of the biggest strengths of my company because it’s a major problem for farmers too, not all of whom speak english or have the time to figure this out. So, I eliminate that problem and do it for free farmers, not just for Bea Olive Oil farmers but for many whose production I believe in!

I’m trying to create a partnership between America and Italy. Only 5% of U.S. olive oil demand can be met domestically, and so many incredible italian farmers abroad lack access to this infrastructure. The fda process was meant to uphold quality standards, but now it often keeps the best producers out.

The FDA, to me, is just another operating system. You learn how it works, figure out where the doors are. The same corners of my brain light up with freight and customs too..it all feels like a puzzle. “There’s a way in. We just have to find it.” taken in Val D'orcia, Toscana, Italia by @beaoliveoil

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8 months ago

During the harvest, dinner is often bruschetta: toasted bread with olive oil, a little garlic rubbed on, and salt..simple enough to let the oil show off. When I first saw this, I thought, immediately yes… girl dinner, harvest edition.

For all the things Italians do brilliantly, Tuscan bread famously isn’t one of them. It’s intentionally plain; no salt, no richness, almost stale in flavor. “The poor man’s bread.” Tuscan bread is saltless because of a medieval salt tax imposed by Pisa on Florence, so bakers removed salt entirely. Its intentionally bland flavor is meant to step aside and let the olive oil speak, serving as the humble vehicle for the integrity of its surrounding flavors.

When people ask me what the best food is to truly taste fresh olive oil, I always recommend the most flavorless bread you can find. There’s a bread truck that wanders through the village every Tuesday morning, and here’s a photo of our loot. taken in Siena, Toscana, Italy by @beaoliveoil

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8 months ago

We’ve entered the annual season of mayhem at Bea Olive Oil. The stretch between the harvest and the Holidays is manual labor to the 9s: picking, pressing, bottling, fingerprint-painting and labeling each bottle by hand, packing every box, then flying back to New York to receive the shipment. From there, i spend nights in cargo loading buildings, places I’m convinced are amongst the most chaotic coordinates in the city, then getting the bottles to fulfillment, back to NYC for local pick-ups, driving my U-Haul, unloading, fulfilling your orders, and writing your notes.

Because we promise a two-week turnaround for truly fresh oil, this window feels urgent. I want to be able to say I pressed this oil two weeks ago, and ensure your gifts arrive promptly. We are inviting you to consume fresh olive oil on the cycle of the harvest, as the farmers do. Cargo updates come sporadically, and I’m often needed in three places at once. This is the time of year when I feel closest to my work, when I’m physically connected to the product in this way. In an industry challenged by counterfeiting it matters to me that I’ve met every bottle.

My older sister and I arrived at Thanksgiving in a U-Haul coming straight from JFK with olio nuovo filled to the brim; I think I’m becoming a more popular cousin. My younger sister and I spent the weekend tagging each bottle, numbering them one by one. We have already sent out the first round of your pre-ordered parcels. I take great satisfaction knowing many of you are already enjoying Harvest ‘25. Many of you requested same-day “porch pickup” in Larchmont for your gift orders.
I checked preorders this morning and realized I may have made the first pallet rushed out of Italy too small…I am blown away by your support.

Back to painting bottles I go taken in Montepulciano, Tuscany by @beaoliveoil

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