Manni Olive Oil

[docsconz]

Any idea what the growth/production year is for these bottlings? I remember reading about a recent difficult olive harvest in Italy. Perhaps this is Manni's version of declassification for those olives and oil not good enough for his two principle bottlings?

[gariotin]

I don't know guys, I wouldn't be so quick to be so suspicious. The top level WF buyers are not bumpkins - they have great palates and understand the provenence of good products. I don't think they would fall for an inferior product and try to move it by calling it "limited and exclusive". I think you should buy it and tell us what you think.

Just my opinion.

[JohnL]

Any idea what the growth/production year is for these bottlings? I remember reading about a recent difficult olive harvest in Italy. Perhaps this is Manni's version of declassification for those olives and oil not good enough for his two principle bottlings?

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The label states:

"An exclusive Whole Foods limited blend"

also

"2005 Harvest picked by hand and cold pressed"

then there is an insert inside the box touting Manni oils with the following:

"This year we created Manni special blend, exclusively for Whole Foods, using the expertise that has made Manni oils superior. It's an exclusive Whole Foods limited blend of only 4000 numbered bottles. I hope you'll enjoy it. It's Buonissimo."

There is no mention of any blends other than the Per Me and per Mio Figlio oils on the Manni site and no mention of Manni oils on the WF site.

I also checked Balducci's site--no results.

I am going to ask the folks at balduccis what the shelf label indicating Manni olive oil at $39.95 was all about this weekend.

I suspect that what I purchased at Whole Foods is indeed a blend other than Per Me or Per Mio Figlio. I am curious as to whether or not this same "special" blend is also available at stores other than Whole Foods and if so, are these the same as the WF blend or are truly other special blends.

Ultimately, I am sure I have a fine olive oil, I am interested how this blend compares to the two Manni mainstay blends.

The Manni site offers their per Mio and Per Mio Figlio blends but you have to buy a case--10 bottles (100ml each) at the going rate of app $275 (plus shipping).

Tempting!

I would love to know if anyone has tasted the Manni oils and how they compare to other fine Italian oils.

When I taste my WF Manni oil I will post some notes on it!

as a side note--I was in WF looking for one of my favorite oils they carry--McEvoy Ranch.

unfortunately, the shelves are loaded with McEvoy oil from the 2004 Harvest. Too old for me so I will get the McEvoy on line. Really fine stuff.

[BryanZ]

I believe shipping is included in the approx $283 price for the case. I'd say you've got the right idea, though. The WF stuff won't be bad, and when you you buy a case you can do a true comparison between all three types.

[Vadouvan]

It is labeled as "an exclusive Whole Foods limited blend"

I am always a bit suspicious when I see "exclusive" and "limited"

in the same sentence.

John, you are a wise man, your Bullsh*t receptors are working properly.

Whole foods is full of crap and its the company that proves most Americans will eat up any corporate BS you feed them.

I will explain later.

It could be a blend created for WF, that suits their customers taste

There is no "uniform taste" of whole foods customers.

The top level WF buyers are not bumpkins - they have great palates and understand the provenence of good products. I don't think they would fall for an inferior product and try to move it by calling it "limited and exclusive"

I am sorry, I have to disagree, that is exactly what they are doing, the Manni oil is not inferior, its quite excellent.............they are just hyping it calling it "limited and exclusive", jacking up the price over 100% more than if you bought it directly yourself. Whole foods has no interest in the proliferation of good olive oil, they are simply doing it for the $$$$.

I suspect that what I purchased at Whole Foods is indeed a blend other than Per Me or Per Mio Figlio. I am curious as to whether or not this same "special" blend is also available at stores other than Whole Foods and if so, are these the same as the WF blend or are truly other special blends.

You would have to get the true answer from Manni though I suspect it isnt.

Manni is a great olive oil company that makes a fantastic product but I suspect they may be at the beginning of starting to sell out thier souls to marketing ploys.

In my line of work, I buy a case of Per Me and Figlio about once every 4 months which is just about the only cost effective way to do it if you can swing the $275.

It's cheaper than a PerSe dinner for example.....

Manni sent out an offer a few months ago to it's regular customers touting it's special blend for 2006. I think there is some issue of translation between what the Italians at Manni are saying exactly and what the deal is.

1. They claim to be making 5 Blends.

Are all 5 blends the same ?

Are they different from Per Me and figlio?

If so how ?

2. In order to buy one of the 5 blends (assuming they are different) you have to buy a

*minimum* lot of 150 boxes at $55 each........$ 8250.00

They will also "personalise" it to you complete with your ribbons.

As you see its quite expensive thus only big corporations or deep pocketed restaurants can afford the investment. It is being marketed as a Holiday promotion.

So I think there will be 5 holiday Blends.

Whole foods has one.

Who has the four others ?

You just have to wait and see when they start popping up with different ribbons.

Though it's probably a good way to move oil, i think it's a bad marketing idea, confuses the consumers and is just a thinly veiled licensing deal of which the licensees are just buying prestige because they can afford $8000 minimum orders rather than they actually care about olive oil.

It smacks of American consumerism and frankly isnt what top Tuscan producers want to be known for. Dont get me wrong, i love the oil, its fantastic but it's "specialness" is being eroded by mass marketing.

Here is a transcript of the Manni e mail from a few months ago....

Draw you own conclusions

As summer closes, we are preparing our exclusive Limited Edition’s of MANNI oil for corporate or personal gift giving at the holidays.  As usual we can only produce 5 and this year we have had 2 pre-orders.  The details of the Limited Edition’s are outlined below.

2006 has been a fantastic year for our little company. We were asked for the second year in a row to be part of the Oscar gift basket, in May we were the only olive oil maker to give a lecture on olive oil at an international conference, “Italy and the Mediterranean Diet”, sponsored by New York University and the James Beard Foundation.  In June we were invited to give a lecture and vertical tasting at the Wine & Food Festival in Aspen and also at the Jackson Hole Wine Auction. We really can’t ask for more recognition.

MANNI Oil, LIMITED EDITION  2006:

We use our premium oil and our special gift box, however, we personalize each one,  making it exclusive to you at no extra cost per box (note the price on our web site: 44 euro per box =  around 55us$ per box) for a minimum order of 150 Gift Boxes.

- Limited Edition’s are a minimum order of 150 Gift Boxes.  Each box features a new ribbon (used to close the box) that will read LIMITED EDITION FOR.... (the name of your company or your name if you prefer).

- Each of the 5 Limited Edition’s will feature a different colored ribbon (the brown series, the red series etc.)  The different colored ribbons along with your personal inscription ensures that each edition is unique and exclusive to you.

- The boxes will have a handwritten number under the olive tree on the front of the box instead of the serial number normally printed on the back. As a Limited Edition the serial numbers will read 1 of 150, 2 of 150 etc.

- Because of the individualized production we need 45 days to fill the order and deliver it to you in time for the holidays.

If you are interested in having one of the 5 Limited Edition’s for the holidays, please contact  soon.

E-mail  at  info@manni.biz

Or call me at  011-39-3358100018

Yesterday I came across Manni oil at the local

Whole Foods.

$39.95 for 250ml

JohnL

Per Me and Per Mio Figlio come in 100 ml bottles for $27 each.

You bought 250 ml of the "special blend " for $40

That means 100ml of the "special blend" is $16

while Per me/per mio figlio is $11 more expensive.

looking at wholesale prices of similar UV resistant bottles, I estimate 75cents for each bottle

So there is still at least a $10 discrepancy that is making the "special blend" a lot cheaper.

thats why I think somehing is wrong.

If the "special blend" was better, why is it a lot cheaper ?

Edited October 14, 2006 by Vadouvan (log)

[weinoo]

I am sorry, I have to disagree, that is exactly what they are doing, the Manni oil is not inferior, its quite excellent.............they are just hyping it calling it "limited and exclusive", jacking up the price over 100% more than if you bought it directly yourself. Whole foods has no interest in the proliferation of good olive oil, they are simply doing it for the $$$$.

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Wow, a company in business to make money -that's so odd.

Edited October 14, 2006 by weinoo (log)

[docsconz]

I am as cynical as the next guy about this, but it may be cheaper because of volume sales or maybe for reasons I mentioned above.

[Vadouvan]

Wow, a company in business to make money -that's so odd.

This post has been edited by weinoo: Today, 07:59 AM

I was hoing to sublimate it into a more intelligent conclusion.........not so much to take issue with commerce but more the issue of companies selling a different perspective to the public, sure romance sells and some people want it. The point was any company saying they commisioned a product "specially for them" gives the impression that they had some creative stylistic input into the said product. While the product is an excellent one, that clearly is not the case here wether you want to believe it or not.

Whole foods does this all the time with misplaced political clout.

I guess it ultimately depends on how gullible people want to be.

[BryanZ]

Do we know anything about the production processes of these holiday blends? More importantly, do we know what they taste like?

JohnL, Vadouvan has given us some background, now we need the first hand results.

[ghostrider]

As a point of comparison with regard to olive oil marketing & hype, folks might want to take a look at David Rosengarten's Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club.

I wonder which offers the better value. I also wonder whether either offers any real value.

(There is a brief discussion of the Club on eG here.)

[Ohba]

As a point of comparison with regard to olive oil marketing & hype, folks might want to take a look at David Rosengarten's Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club.

I wonder which offers the better value.  I also wonder whether either offers any real value.

(There is a brief discussion of the Club on eG here.)

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That's some nauseating sales copy. I don't think I'd want tasting notes from a man who talks about "insanely bright" olive oil, or "game plans", come to that. What a cheeseball.

In the linked discussion, someone commented that their olive oil, picked up on a trip to Tuscany, was better. It's certainly worth looking into ordering direct from producer countries. That's how I've been getting it. The stuff I bought is FedExed, so it only takes 3 days to arrive in Japan from Italy, it's about 110 euros for 6 litres, shipping included, and the quality is fantastic. It's from Abruzzo, not Tuscany, but I can slum it.

[ghostrider]

There's an oil from Sardinia that pleases my palate much more than some Tuscan oils I've bought for thrice the price. (This comment is about flavor, not price.) The lesson I took away is that the region doesn't always guarantee the quality.

I'd really like to try the Manni to see how it stacks up, but I've taken enough flyers on pricey oils only to be disappointed. I'd certainly welcome comments on the taste, color & texture from anyone who's tasted it.

[mukki]

As a point of comparison with regard to olive oil marketing & hype, folks might want to take a look at David Rosengarten's Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club.

I wonder which offers the better value.  I also wonder whether either offers any real value.

(There is a brief discussion of the Club on eG here.)

←

That's some nauseating sales copy. I don't think I'd want tasting notes from a man who talks about "insanely bright" olive oil, or "game plans", come to that. What a cheeseball.

In the linked discussion, someone commented that their olive oil, picked up on a trip to Tuscany, was better. It's certainly worth looking into ordering direct from producer countries. That's how I've been getting it. The stuff I bought is FedExed, so it only takes 3 days to arrive in Japan from Italy, it's about 110 euros for 6 litres, shipping included, and the quality is fantastic. It's from Abruzzo, not Tuscany, but I can slum it.

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I'm the one who wrote about the Tuscan oil; I've written to the producer (Fattoria del Cerro), but it doesn't look like they ship to the US. It was only about 12 euros over there and the reason I bought it was that it was available directly from the producer and labeled DOP, which I hoped would indicate a better oil.

Would you mind sharing the name of the oil you get from Abruzzo? If I knew of reliable places to order direct from, I'd be happy to try them.

Edited October 18, 2006 by mukki (log)

[DTBarton]

I'm as foodie as the next guy, but $40 for 250 ml of olive oil (about a cup) is a lot of money. I'm currently enjoying a Sicilian olive oil from Claudio's in the Philadelphia Italian market. I paid $30 for 3 liters!

[Jim Dixon]

WARNING

Shameless self-promotion coming up

I import oil directly from several small producers in different parts of Italy and sell it at what I think are reasonable prices (from about $35 to $60 per liter, altho' the bottles are typically 375 ml). All my oils are from the most recent pressing, which in Italy is usually in November.

Prices and ordering info on my site, Real Good Food.

Jim

[gariotin]

Not exactly shameless self-promotion, but I am also in the specialty food biz and sell oil. I do not think anyone gets any deals from the Rosengarten clubs. His prices on cheese are exorbitant. I guess it's one thing if you live in an area where it's hard to find good imported products, but for anyone in a large city I think you can get much better deals.

In my opinion, Italian oil is over-hyped. (Sorry, Jim Dixon.) I think the best VALUES (i.e. quality for the price) come from Spain, Portugal, and Greece these days. There are other good oils from places like Australia and surprisingly good ones from South America, so I try a lot of different ones. My personal fave is a Spanish DOP oil from Tarragona region in Catalonia, the DOP is called Siurana but it goes under names such as Unio, Deus, and others. If you see the Siurana DOP, it will be a buttery, herbal, grassy green oil that is great for just about everything. It's a flavor profile that I love, but very different from a Tuscan peppery oil if you like that.

[Ohba]

Would you mind sharing the name of the oil you get from Abruzzo? If I knew of reliable places to order direct from, I'd be happy to try them.

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Certainly wouldn't. The site is www.lemagnolie.com. You'll have to navigate around a bit to get to the olive oil. They're a farm and agriturismo (very nice one, too). It's not the best designed website, though. The oil however, is wonderful.

[Swisskaese]

Wow. I pay 12USD for 750ml of top quality boutique extra virgin olive oil. I am never going to complain about the price again.

Edited October 19, 2006 by Swisskaese (log)

[Raoul Duke]

Not exactly shameless self-promotion, but I am also in the specialty food biz and sell oil.  I do not think anyone gets any deals from the Rosengarten clubs.  His prices on cheese are exorbitant.  I guess it's one thing if you live in an area where it's hard to find good imported products, but for anyone in a large city I think you can get much better deals.

In my opinion, Italian oil is over-hyped. (Sorry, Jim Dixon.)  I think the best VALUES (i.e. quality for the price) come from Spain, Portugal, and Greece these days.  There are other good oils from places like Australia and surprisingly good ones from South America, so I try a lot of different ones.  My personal fave is a Spanish DOP oil from Tarragona region in Catalonia, the DOP is called Siurana but it goes under names such as Unio, Deus, and others.  If you see the Siurana DOP, it will be a buttery, herbal, grassy green oil that is great for just about everything.  It's a flavor profile that I love, but very different from a Tuscan peppery oil if you like that.

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I'm surprised to see you in the "specialty food biz and sell oil" but don't mention any California oil. Have you tasted any lately? You might be suprised that the largest producer of EVOO in the US is from a Spanish/US partnership group growing/processing in California. Arbequina, Arbosna and Koroneiki. As a grower in California this is another "shameless self promotion". Unfortunately for many of us this year turns out to be the worst for olive production since the 40's. Low or non existent crop yields appear to be statewide.

[Markian]

I just ordered some of this amazing stuff...wow! I'm definitely not keeping this oil around for too long or saving it for a special occasion...life is a special occasion! Anybody else liking this oil as much as I am?

[taoseno]

i bought some a few months ago and i am still not exactly sure what to do with it. basically it was so expensive that i want to be able to taste every drop of it. to this end, all i have been able to do it eat it with fresh loaves of Italian bread. what are you using yours for?

[gariotin]

Sorry, Raoul - you're right in taking me to task for overlooking it. Frankly I just don't know enought about the domestic production. Your comments are interesting and I will be more open minded about them - any brands you'd like to shamelessy self-promote?

[BryanZ]

Bringing this thread back on topic.

Since it appears the JohnL has dropped the ball, I took one for the eG team and picked up some of the Whole Foods Manni.

Packaging.

There's this promotional insert inside thats like "Manni is amazing, Thomas Keller loves Manni, by buying this olive oil you will become Thomas Keller, etc. etc."

From a taste perspective, it lacks the depth of flavor and punch of per mi and the fruit of mio figlio. It picks up with a nice bit of pepper and spice at the back end but doesn't awake the palate as something truly special like the main pressings do. I still remember my first Manni experience.

Worth $40.00? I don't think so. As Vadouvan pointed out it's a big time holiday marketing scheme. It's tasty olive oil but maybe at half the price, and it doesn't quite live up to the Manni name.

Edited October 21, 2006 by BryanZ (log)

[jfl91]

I order Manni oil since 3 years now and I use it with soup, pasta, bread, salad and almost everything.

Just order Per Me, it's more powerfull and tasty.

But you can order some really good olive oil from www.therarewineco.com

Prunatelli at the top!

[Markian]

i bought some a few months ago and i am still not exactly sure what to do with it.  basically it was so expensive that i want to be able to taste every drop of it.  to this end, all i have been able to do it eat it with fresh loaves of Italian bread.  what are you using yours for?

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I'm using it pretty much on everything right now....venison tartare with arugula and walnuts, butternut squash risotto with porcini.... I drizzle some on a pumpkin bisque with shiitakes and sherry vinegar...and most simple has been a snack or a nice "and expensive" amuse bouche for guests and friends with my rosemary sourdough. I love both varieties, but the "per me" is definitely more intense.