News

• Aug 22, 2011
  California Leads U.S. in Olive Oil Production
• Jun 15, 2011
  We Olive Launches Facebook Recipe Contest
• Jun 2, 2011
  Striking Oil
• Apr 15, 2011
  Evaluation of Extra-Virgin Olive Oil Sold in California
• Apr 7, 2011
  We Olive La Jolla's Grand Opening Weekend - April 9th & 10th
• Jan 27, 2011
  We Olive Pours Some Love on The American Heart Association
• Nov 10, 2010
  Olio Nuevo Has Arrived
• Oct 21, 2010
  New USDA olive oil standards support what local producers already do Local producers say their own regulations are tougher
• Oct 5, 2010
  Pasolivo Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Rules for Ezxtra Virgins, Or why we love stores like We Olive
• Aug 6, 2010
  Add a Little Olive Oil and Help Fight Breast Cancer Naturally

Zona's Story

 Zona’s Story

A story of the healing powers of Olive Oil! Bari Olive Oil posted this story about the owner of our We Olive store in Fresno!

Our years in business have given us the privilege of working with a great group of retail stores, some large and others small mom and pop stores.  Our approach to working with a store owner who wishes to carry Bari products is the same as when a customer walks into our own store and wants to pick out the best oil for themselves.  We are much more concerned with building a relationship with them than how many bottles of oil we can sell.  As we begin to build that relationship, we discover that they all have some story to tell about how quality olive oil has made a difference in the way they cook, eat, and in some cases, how they approach a healthy lifestyle.

Today we wanted to share with you one such story.  Zona Rogers, along with her husband Wayne, opened up a We Olive store in Fresno a few years back.  Previous to opening the store, they were like most people who knew very little about good quality olive oil until a weekend trip to the coast.  They happened to walk into a quaint little shop called We Olive.  After tasting many of the oils offered there, they were amazed at the difference they tasted in these oils compared to the olive oil they were purchasing from larger grocery outlets. “I really didn’t care for olive oil to be honest with you,” stated Zona “I was used to oil that would add a funny flavor to the foods I would prepare. But this was different.  This was flavorful and there were lots of differences between the oils I tasted.  They didn’t have one uniform taste like I was used to.”  It was this experience that prompted Zona and her and husband to open up a We Olive Franchise of their own.

Shortly after opening the store, Zona was facing the possibility of a triple bypass surgery.  Fortunately, three stents were used instead of the bypasses.  She had already been on statin drugs for the past 10 years since having an angioplasty in her early forties. It was now time to do something about what she ate. She started by replacing all of her butter with a buttery olive oil.  “One of the things I really love is baked potatoes, so I used a little olive oil, some salt and pepper, and cut out the sour cream.  The results were amazing,” said Zona.  “I never realized how much flavor potatoes actually had.  All this time I had been covering it up with butter and sour cream.”  With the inclusion of olive oil into her everyday life, along with sensible eating habits, such as eating less red meat, and other fatty foods, she was able to bring her cholesterol level into check.  However, she was still taking the drugs whose side effects were starting to take a toll on her daily life.  Hoping to reduce the amount of medications she was taking. She began using olive oil exclusively. She reduced her salt intake and increased the amount of vegetables in her meals.  In a three-month span her cholesterol level dropped from 157 to a low 116.  This was to low so her doctors decided to reduce her medication down to a minimal amount.  Her cholesterol levels returned to a healthier level and she was no longer feeling the side effects of the medication because the dosage was such a small amount.

These experiences have allowed Zona the opportunity to teach many of her customers how to improve their diets.  She shows customers how they can incorporate olive oil into their everyday diet and shows them the benefits that this type of lifestyle can have on your health.  She also provides cooking classes once a month at their store located in Fig Garden Village in Fresno. 

It is partners like the Rogers that bring a smile to our face when we tell people the Bari story and what high quality California-grown extra virgin olive oil can do for those who use it regularly.

For more information on Zona please visit www.fresno.weolive.com.