When Rachel returned Canada from living in Italy in 2005, she decided the one thing she could not live without was olive oil from Amelia: “I knew that I could never find the same quality of oil.” She brought back with her to Canada 80 litres of olive oil and used it to convince her mother Rebecca to start a business importing olive oil from Amelia. Rebecca’s passion for cooking and great sales skills made her the perfect partner. This is how Amelia Oil was born in 2006.

Rachel Black – Rachel was working on her doctorate in Anthropology in Italy with a focus on food when she fell in love with the olive oil she tasted in Amelia, Umbria. She forged a friendship with the family who owned the olive mill and they taught her all about the cultivation and production of their liquid gold.

Today Rachel runs the Gastronomy Program at Boston University. She has taught at the University of Gastronomic Science in Pollenzo, Italy and makes regular trips to Italy to do research and enjoy the food and wine. She is the author of the book – Porta Palazzo –The Anthropology of an Italian Market and the co-editor Wine and Culture: Vineyard to Glass

She loves her visits to the olive mill in Amelia to see Francesco, where she gets to taste the latest oil and hear all about the growing season. Rachel has taken on a consulting role in Amelia Oil , her Italian language skills come in handy.

Rebecca Black – Rebecca handles the daily operation of the business and imports the fresh oil annually from Italy to Vancouver. She loves cooking and gardening and spreads the word about the virtues of this exceptional oil. “I love meeting people who share a passion for good food and turning them on to our oil.” She maintains that “the best way to sell our olive oil is to let people taste it.” She often welcomes customers into her home to taste the difference between our fresh oil and supermarket oil. Most people are easily converted. For Rebecca, a trip to Umbria, from time to time reinforces the value of knowing where and how your food is produced.