New store promises fresh, healthier oils, vinegars

Two weeks ago, Misty and David New opened The Olive Leaf to sell a variety of extra-virgin olive oils and balsamic vinegars.

“Our oils are the freshest you can find in the world right now,” Misty New said. “They come from Spain, Italy, Greece, Australia, Tunisia, Chile — any country that is producing — to ensure freshness.”

David New said he believes a market for vinegars and oils exists, and that the diverse market in Bloomington made the city more appealing than surrounding areas for the store’s location.

The Olive Leaf, located in the Shoppes on College Mall Road, obtains most of its products from Veronica Foods in Oakland, Calif., Misty New said.

Veronica Foods’ mission is to find the freshest olive oils on the planet. The company purchases most of its oil from the Mediterranean area in the winter and the southern hemisphere in the summer, Veronica Foods owner Veronica Bradley said.

The company seeks a high amount of polyphenols and oleic acid and a low amount of free fatty acid and peroxide to ensure the freshest oils.

“Before we buy an oil, we will ask for a certificate of analysis from the mill that produces it,”  Bradley said. “The chemistry does not lie. It shows how high those level of acids are. ... We get samples daily, and most of the time we have to say no.”

Bradley and her company also try to help their vendors sell the oils. One example that Bradley frequently shares with her consumers is a study by Northwestern University that showed oleic acid cuts the expression of the breast cancer gene by 46 percent.

“You really need to let your customers know how good this stuff is for them,”  Bradley said.

Extra-virgin olive oils can also help reduce high blood pressure and help lower the risk for diabetes, osteoporosis and Alzheimer’s, she said.

“Most people don’t know what fresh oil tastes like, and once they taste it, they will never go back to the oil on the shelf in the grocery store,” Bradley said.

The Olive Leaf carries dozens of flavors, including wild blueberry, dark chocolate, tangerine and blackberry ginger, but the freshness of the oils is the draw.

“There is nowhere within a small driving distance that I could find these,” Misty New said. “You can’t buy these in the grocery store.”