How do I go about selling highest quality olive oil from Italy in the States?

Question

What regulations and papers do I have to make sure to have and were and how should I sell it? It is highest quality olive oil directly from Italy, so it will be imported.

Answer 1

There are two issues:
1. Customs: Any shipment (air or boat) of products for sale over $2000 (in some cases $250) is subject to duties that you must pay for each shipment ( a form of tax) the government agency responsible for this is U.S. Customs and Border Protection, or CBP.
2. FDA: Cooking oil is a consumable and made from a plant and is subject to the Food and Drug Administration. When your consumable comes to the US it will definitely be inspected by FDA as an imported food consumable so the packaging, and processing must be to FDA standards or your product may not be allowed into the country. You may need to provide information relating to the manufacture and processing of the product in the host country and any testing that was performed

Answer 2

You might be interested to know that much of the Olive Oil sold in the USA as Italian Olive Oil actually comes from Greece. You might want to check out price and quality from Greece and also Spain.

Just because it say Italy on the label doesn't necessarily mean it was produced in Italy.
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California produces a lot of Olive Oil but its quite expensive. So you can probably offer Olive Oil from Europe at a substantial savings.

Olive Oil has mono-unsturated fat so its very very good for the heart.

Answer 3

The question about the regulations has been answered already, so I'll just add a search at the fda wouldn't be a bad idea. I do have some ideas about marketing. If you're selling a very high quality oil, you'll want to differentiate it from the run-of-the-mill supermarket type. You might want to talk to a local market, or even the local branch of a Whole Foods or similar place. For smaller quantities, you might want to try to sell it at local farmer's markets or craft fairs.

One thing you might want to do is to create separate sheets explaining what makes a quality olive oil good. Too many people try what to me seems tasteless, and just because the label says "extra virgin" assume it's good.

The last thing I'll add is that the best olive oil is, of course, the olive oil of the Amazigh. I think everyone will agree with me there ;).

Answer 4

Why worry about all the legal expense and import costs. You could probably find a high quality virgin Olive Oil made right here in the good ol United States directly from the grower. Or am I missing something here. I know they have more Olive production than we do however isn't the end product the same?

It seems to me that you could acquire all the same qualities that you may require here at home directly from the growers. Marketing however is the secret to your success.

Answer 5

I don't know what part of the country you are from, but here in NY there are many imported Italian brands of olive oil. Before contacting a manufacturer in Italy I would try to contact a distributor of olive oil in the states. May be you can apply for a dealership with Gem or Calovita or Bertolli oils (tel# [phone]. You also can reach Bertolli at Bertolli.com.

Answer 6

Sounds like you are interested only in the distribution side of the process not the actual exporting from Italy. If that is the case then you have to consider where you want this oil to sell - will you want it ot go to the hypermarkets (will it be competitively priced, will you have huge quantities) or will it be for a niche market? I would then make a list of which stores and contact the buyers for the oil for that particular store and see what their requirements are (min qty, cost, etc.) - others have mentioned you're entering in a big market here so you have to differentiate somehow to make a stance ... if you want to test the market there are just so many ways to do it ... go to sba.gov and get help there. They have online help as well as offices, and very good tools to start your biz plan. Good luck!

Answer 7

Please don't listen to everybody that says that there are already lots of olive oil brands in the US. There are only so few that taste as good as fresh olive oil in the Mediterranean countries. The US laws have so many loopholes when it comes to certifying something as olive oil. A blend of oils that only has a small percentage of olive oil can be marketed as 100% pure virgin olive oil in the US. It's true! Check the bottles. Not to mention that the US does not require that an olive oil container lists the acidity of the oil. The olive oil market is the US is still immature.

I'm sorry I don't have a real answer to your question except what has already been said (basically lots of paperwork and FDA approval), but PLEASE don't listen to people that try to put you down. The US needs to taste good olive oil.

You'll probably have a good chance of selling it at a cheaper price than the domestic oils. The production of olive oil in the US is expensive because of the lack of olive presses, high transportation costs to the presses, and high labor costs. The industry in the Mediterranean is more mature and that tends to push the costs down.

Good luck!!

Answer 8

Save yourself a lot of money and contact Frank Granato Importing. They are located in Salt Lake City. They carry an INCREDIBLE line of Italian products including numerous olive oils. 1391 South 300 West, SLC UT 84115 Phone # [phone]. No web site yet they can be thoroughly researched by simply typing in their name. Ciao!

Answer 9

There are many markets that have Italian olive oil imported from Italy.First thing you need to do is get a business license then you need a place of business a building that is set up with the right heath standards. After that you need to have a heath inspection if you pass they will give you a license to sale food. But thee is much more to do if you call your local City hall they will point you in the right direction. ( BEFORE YOU DO ALL THIS YOU NEED TO FIND A VENDOR LIKE SYSCO FOODS OR U.S FOOD SERVICE THAT WILL IMPORT THE PRODUCT OF YOUR CHOICE AND THEN YOU ORDER FROM THEM AND PAY THEM)

Answer 10

SPOTLIGHT ON GREEK OIL

By Janice Cole, Food Editor

If you think you’ve never tasted Greek olive oil, think again. Much of what’s packaged in Italy and other countries is actually olive oil that was purchased from Greece.

Greeks produce more extra-virgin olive oil than any other country. That oil is used to improve the quality and taste of olive oil blended in other countries. Recently, the Greeks decided they’d like to market more of their own oils, so you should soon be seeing more Greek-origin olive oil in stores.

Greek olive oil is pure olive juice; there are no added chemicals or extra components. Because of its natural low acidity, 80 percent of the oil produced in Greece is graded extra-virgin. (Extra-virgin olive oil is either cold-pressed or comes from the first pressing of the olives. It usually has the most pronounced and complex flavors and it’s low in acid; 0.8 percent acidity is considered extra-virgin, and most of the Greek oil is less than 0.1 percent acidity.) Greek olive oil tends to be more balanced in fruity, bitter and spicy tastes compared to other olive oils.

Look for these top Greek brands: Mani, Lapis, Iliada, Xenia Krinos, Morea, Altis and Phileos, a new brand that will be available soon.

Answer 11

your problem is not importing, get a booklet from customs, you'll have to pay 20% duty, you'll need a customs broker. transport will cost a lot depending on what method you use. really, something like olive oil will need to be shipped in a container ship, it'll take a month or more to get here and a week to clear customs. then you move it from your broker's warehouse to your own.

the real problem i see here is marketing. that will be rough. as others have said, there is a glut of good olive oil in america. i buy a very good first pressing extra virgin from the local dollar store, $2 a litre. if you want volume sales then you will need a lot, so consider that in initial cost, transportation, customs duties and associated fees, and storage and shipping to distributors. if you go for high end luxury product market then you will need high end packaging and lots of marketing to small outlets, as well as associated costs (storage and transport).

not a business for the amateur, and amateur you are or you would know these things. want to get into import, start with something simple. good luck though.