Elizabeth Kilvert, The Unrefined Olive, Ontario, Canada
The Unrefined Olive launched in Ottawa on November of 2012 with our first store in The Glebe. We soon expanded with a second store in Kanata in May 2015.
I am Elizabeth Kilvert, the Owner. My background is in International Development Studies, Marine Biology, Citizen Science, Natural History Museums, Organic Agriculture, Sustainable Fisheries, and so much more.
I left my pension and dental plan to set up my business and immerse myself in olive oil and balsamic vinegar and local specialty food products. Why? Because they fit with my core values of being delicious, nutritious, sustainable, and so easy to use every day in the kitchen.
"I love being in touch with our community; interacting and not just transacting. We go to many community festivals; participate in charitable events, as well as food and wine festivals. We love to share information and have conversations on the production, uses, and nutrition of olive oils and balsamic vinegars. I sit on our Business Improvement Area in the Glebe and I teach at Cordon Bleu in Ottawa."
It is not about me. Our store teams are informed and exceptional, as well as entertaining. We offer our customers the finest and freshest olive oils with two seasons in both hemispheres. We source from small producers in California USA, Spain, Italy, Greece, Australia, South Africa, Chile, Argentina, Peru and whomever else has the best to offer depending on the year’s harvest.
All of our products are third party certified and I am a registered Oleologist, one of a handful in Canada. We make sure you have the best there is to offer. We also have the best balsamic vinegars that you can purchase, these are aged productions from Modena Italy. We have dark and white balsamic vinegars aged to perfection.
The best part is that you can taste everything in the store. Over sixty different olive oils and balsamic and we guide you through this experience.
We also offer local specialty foods like jams, chutneys, pickles, hot sauces, preserves, chocolate, sea salts, custom branded olives, and other fine offerings. We love working with local producers, chefs, restaurants, home cooks, and non-cooks alike.
"We want everyone to feel comfortable in our stores and we will walk you through the offerings that we have on hand. We will serve you with our extreme kindness, the best products possible, and our exceptional knowledge. No need to be intimidated because we can find something for everyone."
We look forward to seeing for the first time, or again to grow your collection. We will work with you to suit your need to make your collection grow to make home cooking easier, more delicious, and more nutritious! Or just come in so we can make your day better.
We also want to remind you that we are a small business. Therefore, we need to spend time with our families, wash our socks and underpants, and take a little time to breathe now and then. We thank you for your understanding in this.
We thank you for your patronage and will always take care of you, we love our customers and getting to know you. Please become a store friend, we have so many and you make us smile every day.
Let your taste be the judge and put yourself in our very capable hands! We can help you with all of your personal culinary, gifting, and corporate needs.