Olly’s Olives (http://ollysolives.com), a London-based start-up brand with one aim, to produce and sell the best quality olives, in the tastiest flavours possible. Olly’s take juicy, mammoth-sized, perfectly pitted Halkidiki olives and douse them in mouthwatering marinades to make the most of their salty snacks. 2019 sees them launch their core range of olive pouches and their latest range of chilled pots to Sainsbury’s stores nationwide. As the business grows, the small team is launching charitable initiatives, supporting women in business worldwide, and getting involved with individual causes close to their hearts.
The brand’s new chilled range (£3.50 per 180g pot) includes the bold Jalapeno Stuffed, Chipotle Olives with Pepper Drops and the brand’s best-loved classic, Garlic & Basil Halkidiki Olives. The bold and vibrant personality of Olly’s Olives makes them perfect for on the go as a satiating snack all by themselves, but they’re also crying out to be eaten alongside a cold beer or cheeky wine, popped into your favourite puttanesca recipe, sprinkled on a pizza or salad, slung into a picnic hamper, and even packed into a lunchbox.
The original range of ambient pouches is naturally vegan, unpasteurised and gluten free (all under 95cals per packet) and are topped off with mouth-watering marinades, with no stones, no messy oils and no artificial preservatives. The selection includes Chilli + Rosemary, Lemon + Thymeand Basil + Garlic (RRP £1.50 per 50g pouch).
Founder Olly Hiscocks is a lifelong olive fanatic who grew tired of poor quality snacks, so much so that he turned down Medical School in order to change how we eat olives; he says, “For as long as I can remember, the products that have been on offer have lacked character, bold flavour, fresh-tasting olives and vibrant packaging – all factors that we know the modern consumer engages with. So we thought it was our time to step in and take those chilled olives to the next level, and Sainsbury’s have been brilliant in supporting us doing so. We urge all you olive lovers (and loathers!) to give them a try – once you have tasted them, you will not look back.”
After a year of research and tasting, Olly decided to source his jumbo green olives from Halkidiki, Greece, testing all along the way on his foodie guinea pigs at Richmond’s Duck Pond Market. Seeing his customers’ reactions to his succulent olives and innovative flavours, Olly knew he had to scale up his business.
Thanks their latest growth, Olly’s Olives has partnered up with Nest (www.buildanest.org) who focus on supporting women in underprivileged parts of the world who are setting up their own businesses “helping build a new handworker economy that connects craftspeople, brands and consumers in a circular and human-centric value chain“. As a startup themselves, Founders (and brothers) Olly and Sam Hiscocks wanted to support entrepreneurs; Sam says, “Having gone through the startup gauntlet ourselves, we know how difficult it can be to get off the ground and gain traction”. Olly’s wanted to do their small bit to redress the balance. 1p of every pot and pouch of Olly’s Olives sold will go towards supporting Nest’s initiatives – as the business grows, Olly’s plan to donate more and contribute more human resource to driving awareness of the cause.