Catching the smoky, savoury aroma of the Dundarave Olive Company’s olives at a local farmers’ market is downright irresistible. With over twenty mouth-watering flavours and varieties of their hand-stuffed, oiled, and brined olives to choose from, there’s something for every olive-lover. For the olive-averse, this family-owned olive business also sells olive oil as well as balsamic-based fruit vinegars and ready-to-go bread dipper. We chatted with Pia Boleslawsky, co-founder and owner of Dundarave Olive Company, to learn more.
What is your business called and what does it do?
Dundarave Olive Company offers a range of artisanal olives and olive oils, all hand-crafted in our commercial kitchen in North Vancouver, British Columbia. Back when we first started the business, our goal was to bring our own love of the Mediterranean diet to consumers in Vancouver. The simplicity of knowing exactly what ingredients you are putting in your mouth, combined with the bold, exciting flavours, are the two main inspirations from the Mediterranean that we continue to uphold in all of our current products to this day. Now, while we may look across the Atlantic for inspiration, we are also committed to sustaining our own local community, right here in Vancouver. Vancouver’s foodie scene is the perfect backdrop for us to be culinarily curious, leading to the development of a diverse array of products – from our mango balsamic, to blue cheese and pear stuffed olives, to our bestselling hickory-smoked olives. Dundarave Olive Company is proud to offer more than 20 different olive flavour combinations, a range of flavoured balsamics and olive oils, and even black olive jam, which we hand-craft locally and sell at local farmers’ markets all over the city.
What made you want to do this work? What problem did you want to solve with this business?
My husband and I have been in the food business our whole lives, from our vocational training as a baker and pastry chef that we completed in Germany. When we immigrated to Canada in 1992, we saw an opportunity to engage with our new community through food. Food has always been a way to fellowship, to create stronger ties through shared space and communication. Initially, we had no idea that our lives would one day lead us to co-found an olive company, but here we are. Part of the inspiration behind this venture was our love of the Mediterranean diet, but also we were fed up with buying olives from the supermarket that were more preservative than olive. As our business grew, so too did our appreciation of this small but versatile fruit, which has endured in our cultures for thousands of years.
How does our business work?
Without giving away any trade secrets, we import raw olives and do all of the brining, marinating, and stuffing by hand in our commercial kitchen in North Vancouver. Mondays to Fridays are typically our production days, with weekends dedicated to selling at local farmers’ markets. Sometimes you can find us at a mid-week market (e.g. Downtown Vancouver or False Creek on select Wednesdays and Thursdays every month).
We also hand-mix and hand-bottle a variety of unique balsamic and olive oil. Some of our most popular flavours include: chocolate balsamic, mango balsamic, and our lemon olive oil. Our bottling is done during the weekdays as well, and we sell a selection of these at farmers’ markets based on popular demand.
Where in the city can we find you?
The best place to find us is at local farmers’ markets all over the city. We are a regular vendor at the Trout Lake Farmers Market, West End Farmers Market, Kitsilano Farmers Market, False Creek Farmers Market, Ladner Village Market, and Downtown Vancouver Farmers Market. A calendar of dates, as well as maps for these locations, can all be found on our website.
We encourage our customers to come see us at the farmers’ market! It’s an absolutely wonderful feeling to engage in hyper-localized community events that build sustainability and boost our economy from the ground up. It’s a joy to engage with regulars and first-time customers alike!
We also sell our olives to local retailers around the Lower Mainland – for a list, please also see our website.
Who are your clientele/demographics?
Everyone and anyone who loves olives.
What is the best question a prospective customer could ask a member of your profession when comparing services?
Q: What makes your olives special? (We get this a lot, actually)
A: A few things make our olives different. First, we offer olive mixes and stuffed olives that you can’t just find in your average supermarket. Some of our most popular stuffed olives include our “Mouthwash” (stuffed with blue cheese, caramelized onion, and garlic), “Dubliner” (smoked cheddar stuffed), and “Figaro’s Folly (stuffed with figs, apricots, and honey). In addition to these, we also offer a variety of olive mixes, such as our ever popular “Gladiator Snack” (mix of 5 different olives), “Hot Tunisian” (sundried black olives marinated in hot sauce, chilli flakes, and jalapeños), and our “Viva Sangria” mix (green Castelvetrano olives marinated in a mix of tangerines, chilli flakes, and cane sugar).
Another thing that makes us special is our commitment to keeping our business family-owned and operated. Both of our kids grew up in the business, helping out wherever they could – sales, stuffing, packaging, you name it, they did it. It has always been really important to us to show them everything about running a business: the good, the bad, and the ugly. By revealing what kinds of challenges face a small local business, they have grown up with a kind of resilience that only this kind of business experience can teach. The close-knit family unit that forms the backbone of our business also informs how we go about our relationships with our customers. We love maintaining that kind of close, personal interaction, where you can see a face behind the product and the consumer.
What is the best part of what you do? What is the worst part?
The best part of our business is definitely setting up and selling our products at the farmers’ market every week. We are beyond lucky to be a part of such a close-knit community of vendors and market regulars. It’s not every day that a business can integrate so seamlessly into a marketplace where personal relationships are the norm. Having the ability to learn who our customers are is far more important than what they buy. And even on those days when it is pouring rain, we show up – because you never know who else will brave those Vancouver showers to come by and support us at the market.
The worst part: the olives never stop. Just kidding, we really do love every aspect of what we do, and we are very lucky that we get to share that with not just our customers, but also our family.
What is your favourite joke about your own profession?
What’s an olive’s favourite spy film? Olive and Let Die.
Where can we follow you?
You can follow us on Instagram. We also post all of our market locations and dates on our website.
PAY IT FORWARD: What is another business that you love?
Scentimental Creations! If you haven’t already, look them up; their skincare products are absolutely amazing. The owner, Cheryl Thielade, is so knowledgeable about natural beauty solutions for any skin type at any age.
