This Month’s Featured Article

All photos courtesy of The Blue Olive.

The Blue Olive founder and owner John Canevari first conceptualized the idea for his business long before the shop’s opening date in July 2014. Indeed, a quite serendipitous connection led to John’s vision for The Blue Olive, an olive oil and vinegar tasting room with locations in Pawling, Cold Spring, and Poughkeepsie, NY.

Developing a background in food

For nearly 15 years, John had worked alongside a friend developing a Rhinebeck, NY, vineyard and eventually becoming growers for Millbrook Vineyards & Winery, located in Millbrook, NY. This turned out to be a tremendous amount of manual labor and not necessarily conducive with the family life John saw for himself. That said, he had always strived to create his own business, one that fully aligned with his passions, even if this was outside of his career or educational path.

Being half Italian and having grown up in a food-centric family, John points out that he’s always been surrounded by a strong culinary environment. “My older brother is a graduate of The CIA in Hyde Park, NY, and worked in the restaurant business, and my family owned and ran a specialty Italian pastry shop in LaGrange, NY,” he explains. “My mom was an incredible cook, and I was exposed to many different types of cuisine and brought up to ‘experience’ food. Dinner time and holidays were part of our family life that made a lasting impression on me.”

With all of these influences and values in mind, it was only inevitable that inspiration would soon strike for a new venture. “I tasted ‘real’ extra virgin olive oil as I was doing research for the vineyard on a trip to the Chianti region of Italy,” John remembers. “That explosive, eye-opening moment of experiencing what high-level EVOO tasted like stuck with me.”

Launching The Blue Olive

John decided that he wanted to build a business around bringing products as memorable as this, and a deeper understanding of them, to the Dutchess County region. He describes how he got right to work “researching the concept of an olive oil tasting store; learning the space; designing, naming and then building the brand elements; finding a location; and working with business partners to align to full vision.”

While the business was his initial concept, John underscores that he worked with a team to tirelessly coordinate their efforts and bring that vision to life. And even better? John’s wife, Beth, is closely involved, too, as an owner and president of The Blue Olive, contributing her organizational skills, insights, and health and wellness knowledge to the business.

When it came to giving the shop its name, John wanted something as striking and distinctive as his products – something that would go beyond an olive-related pun and capture a fuller essence of what the business is about. He was inspired by a Portsmouth, NH, restaurant called The Blue Strawbery (with one “r”), in an area called “Strawbery Banke.” John and Beth’s family would often dine there since Beth’s father hails from Portsmouth.

“The name of that place stuck with me. It was unique, and the branding spoke to the uniqueness,” John explains. As he began devising his own business’ name, his mission became clear. “The Blue Olive rang true to me, and I went with that name to build out the concept of a more unique store, focusing on bringing what was missing to the buying public – an understanding of olive oil and vinegar. We would focus on education and bringing awareness of these everyday elements to the buyer.”

All about The Blue Olive experience

It is this complete focus on the customer’s experience and understanding of the products that sets The Blue Olive apart. John and Beth aim to curate a friendly, attentive atmosphere that encompasses every possible aspect of the shop. From the look and feel of the store, to the design of the tasting experience, and even to the smell of the shop, each component of The Blue Olive from a patron’s perspective was not only thoroughly considered but planned to ensure that people feel that they are getting a complete, educational, and welcoming experience.

This dedication is reflected in the standard and features of the products you can find at their locations. When it comes to which olive oil and vinegar purveyors they select, John emphasizes their commitment to sourcing high-quality, unique options for their customers. They have considered and tasted olive oils and vinegars from many purveyors on the wholesale market, and their priority has remained the same. “We set our sights on finding the absolute best we can find,” John asserts. “Our goal has always been to get the best possible and then guide the customer to understand that value.”

To this end, The Blue Olive ensures that their staff is highly trained and well-versed in the store’s varieties, providing both pairing suggestions and recipes for the shop’s offerings. The store also carries a range of local gourmet food items sourced from small businesses and food sellers in the region, including jams, jellies, spices, and shrubs. At The Blue Olive, you can find honey sourced from upstate NY and maple syrup from a neighboring town, while also stumbling upon food from France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and Greece.

They also have plenty of gift items for any occasion, as well as customized favors for weddings and other events. Beth handmakes a range of small-batch olive oil soaps, body scrubs, and body butter, and customers love them! As they learn what customers are looking for at their shop, The Blue Olive is always looking to adapt their plans and meet those needs whenever possible. “That is the honest and genuine approach to living up to our brand promise,” Beth and John state.

Community connection and education

Another major facet of The Blue Olive, as John and Beth highlight, is their educational focus to ensure that their range of products, as well as creative recipes and other uses for them, are made accessible to the community. Through their work, they aim “to bring a higher level of knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of olive oil and vinegar to the region.”

The Blue Olive holds cooking demonstrations at local libraries, schools, community centers, and restaurants, and John shares his expertise as a certified olive oil sommelier in Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar 101 presentations and tastings. In a current example of this outreach, John will be collaborating with a local physician and his patients to give a presentation on the health benefits of olive oil and vinegar at The Blue Olive’s Poughkeepsie shop.

Whether in Pawling, Cold Spring, or Poughkeepsie, The Blue Olive is very intentional about connecting with local businesses, organizations, and governments, to give back to the community and participate in the lively, engaging activities and events in these towns. Belonging to the merchant committees for those villages where they have locations, The Blue Olive helps to plan community events, including the Mother’s Day Stroll and Champagne Stroll in Pawling. They also participate in Eastdale’s Cupid Crawl and Cold Spring Aglow.

All in all, fostering this community relationship is central to The Blue Olive’s undertaking, and this pursuit has proven to be incredibly fulfilling. “Our customers – the friends we have made over the years in business – have truly been the most rewarding of any aspect of being in business. It makes all the hard work very much worth it!” Beth and John share. “Next to that, it’s our business ‘family’ that we’ve developed, and our exceptional employees that bring a wide range of skills, knowledge, and personal experience to our business. Without our great employees, we would be nothing!”

Navigating challenges and moving forward

John and Beth reflect on The Blue Olive’s resilience in light of challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic and how the business has grown in the face of these obstacles. With regards to economic fluctuations, product shortages, and day-to-day trials, they observe, “We take each day at a time and simply do not let the circumstances negate or drive our forward movement.”

In fact, the pandemic’s circumstances underscored just how much The Blue Olive is dedicated to creating a comprehensive, easily accessible experience for their customers. “When the pandemic hit, and we could no longer keep the front doors open, we redirected and focused on recreating the in-store experience online,” they explain. “In that situation, we refocused our energy on ensuring that our customers could still get our products seamlessly, through door-step delivery in the evenings to our absorbing the cost of shipping into our business model and shipping for free.”

Looking to the future, The Blue Olive will continue to expand their educational opportunities, both through food demonstrations and educational seminars. Be on the lookout for some new specialty products, too, including a white truffle gourmet ketchup and a fig, balsamic, and olive oil jam!

To learn more about The Blue Olive, please visit their website theblueoliveshop.com. To get in contact, you can reach out via email to info@theblueoliveshop.com.

The Blue Olive locations: 26 Charles Colman Blvd., Pawling, NY, (845) 289-0097. 125 Main St., Cold Spring, NY, (845) 666-7220. 24 Eastdale Ave. South, Poughkeepsie, NY, (845) 675-0000.