My Biz: ‘Harvest’ shop touts olive oil for nutrition

CORALVILLE - The store's manager, Shauna Cornelius, admits right up front it's not the kind of shop you encounter every day.

'We're in a niche market here, and it's not exactly a walk-in-off-the-street kind of place,” Cornelius said.

Building a market for ultra-premium olive oil and balsamic vinegars can be a challenge, but Cornelius and her boss are finding partnerships with complimentary small businesses to build awareness and sales.

Cornelius was hired to manage Harvest Oil and Vinegar by the business' founder, Dr. Kim Schulz, in December 2015. Schulz, a dermatologist, launched Harvest in March 2014.

'I've always been into wellness and nutrition,” Schulz said. 'We're trying to raise that awareness by cooperating with other businesses like the CSAs (community-supported agriculture groups), the fitness businesses.”

A breast cancer survivor herself who's lost family members to cancer, Schulz said the scientific literature convinced her of the nutritional value of quality oil.

'They have to refine these dirt-cheap oils to get the bad taste out,” she said. 'A plant-based olive oil diet with small amounts of meat or fish and a lot of vegetables, that's the Mediterranean diet. That's where all the good diets intersect.”

The ultra-premium label was 'created to sort of combat the adulteration of the extra-virgin label,” Cornelius said.

An independent agency certifies an ultra-premium oil's olive variety, crush date, purity and chemical composition.

'A lot of times what you'll get in the store, it's been blended and it's been mixed with canola or it's been heated or chemically extracted rather than the natural process,” Cornelius said.

She said pure vinegars offer similar benefits in health and flavor.

'Obviously putting oil and vinegar together, it's been going on for years,” Cornelius said.

Harvest's oils start at $12 for 200 milliliters - indeed a premium over grocery store prices, but Cornelius and Schulz see a market with the health consciousness, income and taste to make the leap.

'Once they're come in, they'll come back, but how do we get more people in the door?” is how Cornelius puts it. They have started holding tastings at fitness centers and yoga studios along with private events, she said.

Starting next week, the shop will be delivery site for Mount Vernon produce grower Donna Warhover's Coralville-area CSA shareholders.

'It's just getting together as many businesses with like-minded goals - healthy eating, local eating, making it easy and accessible for people,” Cornelius said. 'We all want to eat healthy and local and all those things but the convenience aspect is what we were really trying to put together.”

The approach is paying off: Cornelius said sales in April were up more than 50 percent over April 2016.

Warhover started her business, Morning Glory, five years ago. Until now, her CSA distribution has been at farmers markets in Cedar Rapids, Mount Vernon, and Iowa City.

'I never wanted to just drop my produce off somewhere and people would just pick up and go,” said Warhover. 'Shauna has offered this great environment where they're coming in, they're experiencing some wonderful snacks, getting great recipes. It's making it very doable.”

Each week's fresh produce is accompanied by a recipe prepared by Becky Schmooke, owner of the Becky's Mindful Kitchen cooking school.

Cornelius also is working to get Harvest oils in local restaurants.

'I don't even necessarily need to make a profit there,” she said. 'The recognition on the menu and the promotion of us within is good for me.

'This town is very foodie. If they find out that he's using Harvest olive oil, that's good for me.”

l Know a business in operation more than a year that would be a good choice for 'My Biz”? Contact michaelchevy.castranova@thegazette.com.

AT A GLANCE

l Owner: Dr. Kim Schulz

l Manager: Shauna Cornelius

l Business: Harvest Oil and Vinegar

l Address: 1150 Fifth St., Suite 150, Coralville

l Phone: (319) 338-2339

l Website: www.harvestoilandvinegar.com