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How to sell 40 litres of hand-picked virgin olive oil

krappyrubsnifkrappyrubsnif
edited December 2011 in General chat
<P>Do any of you commercially-minded entrepreneurial types have any suggestions about how to sell 40 litres of freshly milled, organic, virgin olive oil for the best possible price here in London this Christmas?</P> <P>It can be packaged in 1-litre or 250ml bottles, attractively labelled.</P> <P>I am looking into how much it's going to cost to transport it (from the Italian mountains) to London, the import tax and so on.  It may be just much too expensive to consider.  The main problem is that I've never done commerce or sales of any kind so I've no idea how to set about trying to make a return on it.    Would it have to have some kind of proof of origin?     How do I set the price?    Should I go round all the Italian delis or restaurants in the area to see if they're interested?    A stall at Camden market?     Try flogging it on the Internet?   Any suggestions?</P> <P>Actually,this feels a bit like a task for The Apprentice.   I'm Fired!</P> <P> </P> <P> </P>
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  • andyandy
    This is a great challenge.<div><br></div><div>I'd scoot down to borough market and nobble one of the guys there, and talk to their wholesalers.</div><div><br></div><div>On the other hand, top top end olive oil retails for £10-15/litre, so even if you get rid of all of it you're looking at £500 total, before shipping, bottling and costs of your time. Not a moneymaker for a one-off deal. </div><div><br></div><div>I'd be tempted to bottle it up by the litre and give it to people as christmas presents. </div>
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  • tosscattosscat
    <H2>20. Best place to buy: Olive oil<BR>Turkish embassy electrical supplies, London</H2><SPAN class=inline><IMG alt="Mehmet Murat in his electrical shop" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Observer/Pix/pictures/2009/9/9/1252494631815/Mehmet-Murat-in-his-elect-001.jpg" width=220 height=313> </A><SPAN style="WIDTH: 220px" class=caption>Mehmet Murat in his electrical shop. Photograph: Andy Hall </SPAN></SPAN> <P>The most unlikely olive oil vendor in the world? At his electrical supply shop in London's Clerkenwell, Mehmet Murat sells wonderful, intensely fruity oil from his family's olive groves in Cyprus and south-west Turkey. Now he imports more than a 1,000 litres per year. His lemon-flavoured oil is good enough to drink on its own.</P> <P sizcache="0" sizset="86">76 Compton Street, London EC1, 020 7251 4721, <EM sizcache="0" sizset="86"><A href="http://www.planet mem.com/"><FONT color=#005689>www.planet mem.com</FONT></A></EM></P>
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  • tosscattosscat
    <P>He might know.</P> <P>(I didn't expect that to happen by the way)</P>
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  • krappyrubsnifkrappyrubsnif
    <P>Andy, you're right about the likely profit margin.  This time round I'm just trying to cover my costs.  I usually bring it back and give it as Christmas presents, but this year I have been royally stiffed by some so-called 'friends' who were going to help with the picking (in return for 6 litres free oil) but who then decided they didn't feel like it when they got there, and left me high and dry.  They still helped themselves to 6 litres though.  Ex-friends.</P> <P>Pride does not allow me to leave the trees unharvested, so I am having to go back there with a relative to do the job - it is costing my brother and I an extra outlay of £400 which it would be nice to get back.   Uneconomic but as I say, a matter of principle.</P> <P>As I say, you sometimes find out who your friends are the hard way.   </P> <P> </P>
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  • miss anniemiss annie
    <p>You will need a license from the council to cover food regs. Organic is a minefield - Trading Standards can help. <a href="http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/advice/advice-business-fdproductsum7.cfm">http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/advice/advice-business-fdproductsum7.cfm</a></p><p>When considering mark up for retail you need to know how much it costs you per sales unit - bottle, litre, however you are going to sell it = your Cost Price. Don't forget to include transport to sales venue and your time organising this.</p><p>You then times this by either 2.5 (local shops, markets) or 3 (high end outlets and tourist/foodie traps, eg. Carluccios, Borough Market etc) to give you your Retail Price.</p><p>If you want to sell it in to someone else don't forget that they will be doing the same so your Retail Price will become their cost price so you'll need to have a look at it to make sure that you are not pricing yourself out of the market.</p><p>Good Luck!</p>
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  • ArkadyArkady
    I'll buy one or two.<br>
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  • krappyrubsnifkrappyrubsnif
    Arkady, after an offer like that, you can come and pick next year.   I am choosing my pickers carefully now.
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  • ArkadyArkady
    It would be my pleasure.  I have very nimble fingers.  Where is your grove?<br>
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  • krappyrubsnifkrappyrubsnif
    <A href="http://www.casa-meridiana.com">www.casa-meridiana.com</A>.  Does this count as advertising?
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  • miss anniemiss annie
    <p>Krappy that is beautiful! Do you mind if I email the link to a few pals and my mum? I'm sure that I know a couple of people that would be interested in renting it for a holiday.</p><p> Can I put my name on the waiting list when you are looking for pickers too?</p>
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  • krappyrubsnifkrappyrubsnif
    @miss annie, go right ahead!
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  • ArkadyArkady
    I can see a Carry-On style 'Stroud Green.Org Goes to Italy' developing.<br>
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  • andyandy
    there must be a wholesaler down there who will take it off you?
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  • krappyrubsnifkrappyrubsnif
    <P>@andy - olive oil is in such plentiful supply there it has almost no local monetary value.  They practically use it to unblock the drains.   A litre of oil in the supermarket or village shop is just a few pence.  It would hardly be worth doing.</P> <P>There is an Englishwoman in the same region with a much larger landholding (probably hundreds of olive trees) who is reputed to take her oil back to London in a van each November and sell it at top prices through Fortnum & Mason. I have never checked this out - it's not somebody I know.  It could be the Italian countryside version of an urban myth.</P> <P> </P> <P> </P> <P> </P>
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  • FinFin
    There is a fantasic olive oil stall on Broadway Market which might be worth trying. <br><br>If you'd prefer to stick to Stroud Green would it qualify as "Arts & Crafts" at the Sugar Lounge? I'd buy some too, so get a pitch there and advertise on here....<br>
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  • miss anniemiss annie
    Try a stall at Archway Market, there are some good stalls there <a href="http://www.archwaymarket.org/">http://www.archwaymarket.org/</a>;
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  • krappyrubsnifkrappyrubsnif
    I am beginning to think about rebranding it 'Stroud Green' oil.
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  • tosscattosscat
    <P>Hand plucked from the groves of the Upper East Side...</P>
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  • taff bachtaff bach
    <p>Get in there before global warming puts you out of business.</p><p><br></p>
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  • krappyrubsnifkrappyrubsnif
    <P>I've learned some interesting facts about the market in olive oil this afternoon.</P> <P>Apparently good quality olive oil is much cheaper in London than in Italy.  Restaurants and pubs in London source their top virgin (or extra virgin?) olive oil for just £2 - £2.50 a litre from big mass market suppliers.     So Andy may be right.  In Italy good quality oil is much more prized, and sold expensively in delis.</P> <P>So I probably won't bother trying to sell it here after all.  </P>
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  • andyandy
    <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">Here's another back of an envelope calculation. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">I reckon you could make about 100kg of 80% olive oil soap. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">A 125g bar of olive oil soap sells for c.£2.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">8 bars of soap per kilo = £1600</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">Keeps for ages, easier to sell. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">My consulting fee for this idea will be some olive oil.</span></div>
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  • krappyrubsnifkrappyrubsnif
    So basically, you've found a way for me to clean up
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  • poxypoxy
    If it wasn't for the fact that the local airport is served by Ryanair you would have received an early bird booking for next year. By the way, my olive tree in the back garden has for the first time in seven years produced a single olive. How much olive oil will I get from it? Maybe Stroud Green oil isn't so fanciful after all.
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  • krappyrubsnifkrappyrubsnif
    <P>I recommend flying to Rome (Easyjet to Fiumicino).  The drive is further but the flight times are far better, and it's a fantastic journey through wonderful mountain scenery.  Many more flights.  And it's not Ryanair. </P> <P>I'll get you an estimate from the <EM>frantoio</EM> for your olive.  They'll have a good laugh.</P>
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  • [Deleted User][Deleted User]
    The user and all related content has been deleted.
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  • MargoladaMargolada
    yay, bottle for me please? :)
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  • krappyrubsnifkrappyrubsnif
    The olive harvest is well under way now, thanks.
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  • krappyrubsnifkrappyrubsnif
    edited November 2011
    <P><A href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/59466728@N00/6378249073/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/59466728@N00/6378249073/</A></P>;
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  • WillMWillM
    krappy, i'm fascinated by this idea.   how much oil would the olives from one person picking for a day yield?
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  • IlovegreyhoundsIlovegreyhounds
    Please, please come and give a talk at one of our WI meetings, I'd love to know more about olive picking and making oil. Could you bring it over in large vats, set up a stall and get people to bring their own bottles to fill up? It would save time and money on the bottling process.
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