Prima Mensa, a Love Story... (II)

As promised, I want to share with you the second part of the Story of Prima Mensa, a small dream we made come true, though not without a lot of hard work ;)

If you missed the first part, you can read it here: Prima Mensa, a Love Story... (I)

...

Three months after that phone call, I went to see Migue and Ricardo. I had to convince them that bringing that wonderful Oil I tasted that November afternoon all the way to you was possible. It was no easy task, given that they're the 4th Generation of Olive Growers and born-and-bred Puente Genil locals, hehe.

- Migue, Ricardo, we have to bring that Oil to Mi Oliva Gourmet. I think if we show what it's really worth, there will be people who know how to appreciate it. Spanish wine was the same at first, but decades later people genuinely appreciate the differences between one wine and another. They understand small, carefully tended productions, from the vine all the way to ageing in barrels; they know what a gran reserva is, a reserva, a tempranillo... With olive oil, we still have a long way to go. It's true that in Spain few people know what veraison is, what olive yield means, the difference between oil from olives picked straight from the tree and from fallen fruit... They're all labeled Extra Virgin Olive Oil, but where do they end up? Remember what the Mill Master told us the day we were there? - “See that tanker truck? The oil it's carrying is extraordinary. They're taking it to Italy to blend it with much worse oils and improve their quality and flavor.”

Then Migue said, almost outraged - Of course, they lower the acidity and sell it as Extra Virgin Olive Oil...

Exactly, Migue, - I told him - it's about time someone spoke up. We'll be the first, and they'll call us crazy, but I think it's worth it. And if we can't make it work here, I can help you put it on Amazon and sell it in the UK, France and Germany. They really do appreciate Extra Virgin Olive Oil there. Oils worse than this one sell for €30 a bottle.

The truth is, there was something I didn't tell them. I was scared. Scared of failing. Of not being able to convey how valuable an Oil like this is. Scared that they'd trust me and I'd make them lose a lot of money... But if you don't overcome your fears, dreams never come true.

We talked about it a lot more. They had heaps of questions. I knew the answers to many of them. Many others I didn't, but I got by as best I could. I tried to give them confidence. I know that with hard work, anything is possible.

The first step was done. Migue and Ricardo had joined my dream :)

But there was still a long way to go. My mission was clear, and I had less than nine months...

So I started researching prestigious oils. They all came in original, beautiful containers. So I thought: I'll have to find a nice container; if they all sell it like that, that must be the way to do it...

My search led me to Italy, home of the great glassmakers.

I hit a wall.

It turns out that, on top of being expensive, they require a minimum run of 10,000 bottles just so the bottle doesn't end up costing even more than the oil inside it. How crazy is that! How was I going to tell Miguel and Ricardo they had to spend that kind of money on a dream?

Then I remembered that bottle next to my seat, with no label or anything... To me it seemed like the most precious thing in the world, and it wasn't some extravagant container, it was just a simple flask. What mattered was inside, not outside. What if I released it in that very same flask?...

And that's exactly what happened ;)

I kept researching the prestigious oils.

They all had awards.

So I started researching the awards.

And you know what I found?

They required sealed tanks of at least 3,000 liters! And our production was going to be very select, only the best part of the olive grove. 1,000 liters at most... I had to forget about the awards, too. They were meant for large productions, a far cry from our idea of making the best oil we possibly could.

All that was left was the name.

I called my friend Jose María, from Al Margen. It was his specialty. I told him the story. I made him part of our dream. I told him the name had to be conceived so it would sound good both in Spain and across Europe.

A week later he sent me his four proposals:

- Fundum lares, farmstead of the gods, estate of the gods.
- Prima mensa, main course, first course.
- Penus Baetica, pantry of Andalusia.
- Fundum Baetica, land of Andalusia.

I talked it over with Ricardo and Migue, and we went with the second one. I hope you agree it was a good decision ;)

The last hurdle was the boxes. We wanted a box that wasn't expensive either. After the experience with the glass bottles, I decided not to waste time imitating the “Prestige Oils”. The value of Prima Mensa would be on the inside, not the outside.

Even so, I ran into the same problem again. That blasted minimum run. Every box manufacturer told me the minimum run had to be between 6,000 and 8,000 boxes! I also got in touch with some online box makers that allowed smaller runs, but the price was prohibitive.

It was already late November and I was running out of time. Migue was nervous. Ricardo was calling me two days out of every three to see how things were going. They had already harvested the olives and milled the Oil in its first pressing. The only thing I had going for me was the success of Arraigo.

Suddenly, as if it were a scene from a play, while chatting with Jose María from Al Margen about the photos, I mentioned the problem I had. He told me to let him make a couple of calls. Maybe he could get a box maker to agree to a smaller run.

And he did! We got to work designing the box: simple, practical, elegant, sturdy and, above all, not expensive. By the end of December, we had everything ordered.

Goal achieved! We wanted the price of Prima Mensa to be 80% Oil and 20% everything else. For an Oil of this kind, the norm is 60% Oil, 40% everything else. Not only had we achieved it, we had beaten it!

In the price of Prima Mensa, 85% was Oil, the purest Oil from the San Miguel Olive Grove.

We were thrilled!

Since we put it on the website and I wrote you the first part of this Story, a third of it has already been reserved!

I've already tasted it. I was with Migue and Ricardo at the end of December to take a photo (the one you saw above) with Arraigo and Prima Mensa in the Olive Grove, and they gave me a small bottle. It's a delight: intense in flavor, full of nuances, much smoother than Arraigo in pepperiness and bitterness, but with an even longer finish, if that's possible.

It's a gem!

I save it for using raw only. I've already invited three groups of friends to try it, on its own, nothing else, with a chunk of bread.

Incredible...

Well, I hope you've enjoyed learning more about Prima Mensa. This article has turned out really long, and I've still left plenty out. A few setbacks at the Olive Oil Mill, the fear of drought, harvest week, the incredible lab results, the wait to see the yield...

Maybe I'll get around to writing a third part of the Story of Prima Mensa ;)

Or am I going on too much?...

Either way, thank you, truly, for reading, for supporting us and for your comments on the website...

A big hug!

Would you like to try Prima Mensa?