September 9, 2024 • 20 mins
An Engineer from Spain. An Emergency-Room doctor of Jamaican heritage. And a three-generation family tradition steeped in oil. Meet Jorge and Tiffany, co-founders of Flor De La Jara, producers of an extraordinary premium extra virgin olive oil, grown and harvested in Spain. They not only share fascinating facts and amazing health benefits of premium extra virgin olive oil, but also, how they manage their business, their family and full time careers, while overseeing their crop in Spain. For more info, visit their website flordelajara.com. Check it out!
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Hi, I'm Tony Parente. And I'm Mickey Pagano Parente. We're owners of Brandy
(00:13):
Short's Creative Content Agency. And we're a couple of entrepreneurs. We started this
podcast because there are so many couples in business, just like us. Entrepreneurs who
took risks. Some even spent their life savings to build a successful business together without
ending their relationships. In this podcast, you'll hear their inspiring stories, get tips,
(00:38):
advice, and the secret to success for any entrepreneurial journey. Welcome to our podcast,
a couple of entrepreneurs. A man from Spain, a woman of Jamaican heritage, a three generation
family tradition, and the perfect marriage of love, family, and food. Meet Jorge and Tiffany,
(00:58):
co-founders of Flor de la Jara, producers of an extraordinary premium extra virgin olive oil.
Thank you guys so much for joining. You'll be here. You have an incredible business. First, if you
guys just want to introduce yourselves and tell us the name of your business. So I'm Tiffany.
(01:21):
This is Jorge. And we are Flor de la Jara. We started an olive oil business, extra virgin olive
oil company. Jorge's family has been producing olive oil in Spain on their family land for three
generations. And so we've decided to bring it to the state. So it's bottled there. And how do you
sell it here? And what kind of customers do you sell to? Is it all consumers? Is it businesses?
(01:46):
Is it, so how do you do that? We ship it here to the states in bulk. And then we ship it to whoever,
to our clients, essentially. So we do a lot of direct to consumer. We've also had company chairs,
events, some markets as well. And why, like, why did you guys decide to start this business? I mean,
(02:09):
maybe you want to talk a little bit about your backgrounds before you started it? And then why
did you want to? And why together? And why together? Right. So these business, when I started living in
the States, I was like, Oh my God, what's going on? There's not a decent olive oil in the market.
And I was like, really struggling because as a Spaniard, everything is about olive oil. Our
(02:31):
astronomy is like, we use it for the skiing, we use it sometimes even for our hair. I don't start
day without my my spoon of olive oil. So when I arrived to the States, I say, My gosh, I really
need to do something because I cannot find a really decent olive oil. So this into foods,
into like a health stuff, this a foodie. And 2017, we start talking about commercializing the olive
(02:56):
oil of my family in the States. I was going to say also, like just just blending families, right?
Because my family, we're originally from Jamaica. So I'm a first generation American here,
part of the immigrants the States, and then then we have a family. So it's just nice to bring
the two sides together as well as continue like a tradition that's been going on for so long.
(03:17):
So that was also important to us, I think, just to kind of continue what's been going on in the
future. And so that's why for us, it was it was really, really cool. And what did you get before
you started your company? What were you guys doing before this business? What's your work? We're still
working. I'm an engineer. And I'm a physician. You always hear about the health benefits of
olive oil from your experience in that field. Was that part of what drew you to this business?
(03:43):
Yeah. So I mean, that was definitely one aspect of it for sure, right? Because people just in
general, it's great to be healthy. And it's, it's, it's, it's a necessity really, right? But also
just kind of the legacy and the tradition, the families and also having our own family,
it kind of, that was the thing that was like, well, what can we do together?
That perhaps like maybe our son would be also, you know, interested in when he gets older.
(04:07):
Yeah, absolutely. For us, it was very important to give the legacy
and that our child will continue the, the business. Our son, he loves olive oil and he's just taking
olive oil in the morning with some bread as a breakfast. He love it. Like, he's just like his
favorite. And it's funny enough because growing up, like, like I said, my parents are from,
are from Jamaica. My mom used to give me cod liver oil. It's not the same as olive oil,
(04:31):
obviously, but it's just, just definitely nutritious. And so the concept of having a spoon of oil a day
is not a foreign concept to me as well. Olive oil is a super food. It is. It absolutely is. I mean,
growing up Italian, my dad, I mean, he's from Italy. So yes, we have olive oil every day.
Do you guys see yourself doing this full time one day in the future?
(04:54):
That would be our dream. Yes. That would be our dream. Because for me, for her, but both,
is something that we are pursuing and I think that it will come. I mean, we are pretty sure it will
come. It's just a matter of doing things good in a good way and in a fair way and work hard
(05:15):
and trust on everything and keep going. That's right. We started the same way. We started
other jobs when we started our business. We were working in advertising and then he was in corporate
America and then it came to a tipping point and we just had to do long hands on deck, had to do it
full time. But it's, but it's small. I mean, the way you guys are doing is very smart, right?
(05:37):
Because you're letting it build and you still have the financial resources. Otherwise, then you have
a child, right? And then you just let it build and build. So when you guys started the business,
what were the things you first thought about? Like, I mean, we're going to start a business.
We have to do these like three things. Like, this is what we have to do to get this thing off the
ground. What were those things in your head that just did launch this? One of the first things we
(06:01):
thought to ourselves is like, you know, can this actually work? Right? How is this logistically
going to work? And that's important because honestly, our oil, we always, I always say,
it's like if you came with us to Spain, and we bottled it for you and gave it to you, right?
Because there's no middle person involved at all. It's just all, it's just the family, essentially.
And so another thing was, how do we make sure that, you know, our family is involved, right?
(06:27):
Because we have family there, we have family here, when harvest time is there, we've gone
as a family and done it and got the olives from the trees and so forth. And even on our side here
in the States, which is where my family is currently, they've also, you know, helped us,
they're big fans and helping us go to different events and so forth like that. And then thirdly,
(06:47):
just how we can sustain it, right? Like, so one of the goals is to basically, like we've said,
is to make this sustainable and make this so that perhaps, you know, our son, if he's interested,
can continue it and so forth. And I think just him being involved and seeing us and, you know,
he's there when we harvest and he's there when it's bottled, like the last harvest season he
(07:08):
was there. So just piquing his interest as well, I think it's another thing that we kind of thought of.
What are some of the challenges you guys face? You know, because every business says it's
challenges when you're trying to launch a new business. One of the things that we do or one of
the challenges was kind of constructing our own roles within the business, right? So
Jorge is a lot more creative than I am by far. And I very much kind of like an administrative
(07:35):
and analytical type of person because I actually enjoy that stuff and he enjoys that. And so kind
of defining separate roles. So there's not a lot of kind of bumping up the heads is definitely one
of the challenges that we saw initially. And then that's how we've kind of overcome it,
just kind of defining roles. And how do you guys come to it when you don't agree? Like,
(07:56):
how do you work it out? Like, how do you come to it? Because you've got the business, but then
you've got the personal side of it, right? So when you're starting a business with your spouse.
Well, that's a very good question. I will say that we try to put our feelings aside
and see what's better for the business. We put just a list of pros and cons and let's say,
(08:19):
okay, you think this, I think that let's put it together. Let's say, what is going to be more
important for the business? What is going to be more impactful for the business? Okay, no matter
what if you say, why say, let's go with that way. Definitely. And then try not to take things too
personally, right? And so, you know, it just understand that the goal is the same, which is for
the business to prosper. No, that's great advice for anybody, right? Because it's not, it's challenging
(08:45):
to start a business, but when you start with your significant other, it's like, it's easy to get that
personal life. Oh, it's so easy. And then you guys have these other jobs too, which right, and
there's stress there sometime, I'm just trying to put it all together. And then you have a kid.
And you have a kid. Right. And then that's really easy. Yes, I think. And then there's just general
life shopping, you know, cooking, you know, this just everything. It's like you try not to think
(09:09):
about about it like that in the list. Because then you're like, wow, this does sound a lot. It's very
crazy. Where are the benefits, right? Because you guys know each other better than just some
colleague, right? And your job, other jobs, right? So what are some of the pluses, you know, knowing
each other better when you start a business? I mean, we have a lot of fun. A lot of fun. It's a
like couple of activities that we are developing together. And we are getting us as something that
(09:34):
we, we have an interest in common, and we have something like, we have a lot of fun. We are on,
I mean, we are on an event or a tasting or, or we are doing, I don't know, whatever it is,
or doing videos for the social media. And we enjoy it. We enjoy something that are same as some
couples. Oh, you like playing tennis, let's play tennis together. So we don't like tennis. I mean,
(09:58):
I like to see, I like to watch tennis, but not to practice it. I'm more in a soccer side.
But it's a, it's a lot of fun doing that together, the business together. It's more than,
more than a business, something that we believe and we enjoy together, really together.
And do you find too that you can sometimes we hear a couple of talking about that,
(10:21):
and we see this too is like, we can push each other a little bit more sometimes because we know
each other better. Right? Like if we see something that this needs to be done when you're in an
office setting, you may not want to say that it risk because it's not where your boss takes, right?
But when you're as a couple, do you find that you can kind of maybe push each other in different
directions where maybe it's a benefit to the business? Yeah, I definitely think so. I was
(10:43):
just going to say also on that flip side of that, you know, making sure that there are roles and
making sure that you don't take it personally, right? The goal is the same. On the flip side of
that, the goal is the same, right? And so it is kind of, it is kind of nice in terms of you can
lean on your partner and you can also say, okay, you know what, I know you can do this, like,
(11:04):
can you try and do this a little bit? Or can you spend some more time and do, and knowing that the
person again is coming from a good place, the goal is the same, it's a lot easier to take that when,
or to receive it rather than, you know, than if it weren't the case. Also try trusting each other,
like sometimes you don't have to be involved in all the activities of the business. You gotta
(11:26):
sometimes let it go and I don't have to supervise or see that it has to supervise on me or to check
on me or something, you know? I know that she's gonna do it, she's gonna do it well.
That's great. That's great. That's great advice. Have you guys had any, you know,
things that have happened in like any old wow moments? Like, wow, I can't believe we just did
that. Or I can't believe that just happened, like starting a business, like if you've gone to events
(11:47):
or shows or to try and promote the business. Yeah. So I would say actually coming up next week,
we're going to the Summer Fancy Food Show, we're kind of like, that we're like, wow, like, we're
so excited. Yes. We can't believe, you're in that realm, right? Where we can't believe like this is
happening and even just small markets and so forth, that's, those are always also nice and just
(12:11):
meeting and interacting with customers, which I think in the beginning it was really, for us,
something new, right? Because it's not something that we, our regular jobs, whatever, call for in
that way. It's so exciting, no matter what. And we get a lot of feedback from the, from the people,
the people can try, the people can ask you the questions. I don't know, it's very, it's really
(12:34):
enjoyable. You talked a lot about a family business, but a lot of, you know, partners don't go into
business together, right? Did you hear like, sometimes it's good, sometimes not so good.
What did your friends and relatives say? Like, hey, you know what, I'm going to business with her,
I'm going to business with him. Like, what kind of reactions did you guys get? From my side,
everybody was very supportive. They know us very well. As we say, we are the best team ever. Yes.
(13:00):
So for us, like, we enjoy doing everything together. Yeah. And for the people surrounding us,
I think that it was some kind of a, like normal or something that they was not nothing extraordinary.
Right. So that's great. We're very similar. We do everything together. We're like, oh, okay, we're
co-dependent. I know, I know. It's like, but it's good because you can, you know, I think we had a
(13:22):
pretty positive reaction from some friends and some friends are like, are you kidding me?
I would never work with my son. Yeah, like, we get, we have both, it's funny, we have both sides of it.
Plus, I don't see who will be a better partner for a visa than my wife. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, who's
going to look after our interests better than your wife? Yeah, that's very true. There's no
(13:44):
perfect partner, obviously, because I mean, everybody's human. Everybody's human. But if I
choose one, and I will have to choose again, I would choose her. That's true. I think that's awesome.
I love that. Yeah, that's awesome. If you were talking to other, and maybe you've done this already,
other people that are partners that are thinking about going into business together,
(14:07):
what would you tell them? What would you tell them? Like in terms of any kind of guiding principles
that, you know, to be successful? Try not to make whatever happens into the business life,
leap into the personal life, especially when things are maybe contentious, right? When things are
going great, it's great. I mean, everybody loves that. But when things are contentious, it's,
you know, you kind of want to make sure you have the ability to compartmentalize and say, okay,
(14:30):
this is, this is work, essentially. And this is, this is home. This is fun. Take it as another
couple activity that you can enjoy. No, no, take it as a hustle that is going to be, oh my god,
it's going to be a hustle. If you start feeling that way, better don't start. If you feel like it's
work with your wife, it's going to be a hassle. It's like, and he's not going to be fun. He's
not going to be, that's better don't start. I'm just curious too, it's like, this is great. Thank
(14:54):
you guys for sharing all this. Any surprises, like when you started a business, like things that
happened when you started the business, like, wow, I didn't mean that's interesting. You know, like,
you were, you didn't see things, some things coming that, you know, good, bad, whatever, just in
general, like, you think that everything is going to be good, everything is going to go smoothly,
but sometimes there's some bump on the walls. It's supposed to be a learning process. I won't go to
(15:19):
sleep ever without learning something in personal or professional in my life. I will never say that
I know everything. So everything is a, every day is a lesson and you have to learn.
Part of life. It's part of life. It's part of life. It's part of life. It's a learning course as well.
So you are getting better, better and better when you are doing as soon as you are learning.
(15:40):
Or the bad experience you learn more sometimes. Is there any advice on both your sides when you
guys, as you guys grew up from your family, it seems like you're very close rich families,
but that you receive, that you think about now as you start your business? I have a very
funny story because my father used to repeat all the time and in a very funny way always, like,
(16:01):
you have five dollars, not a specific thing. I mean, it doesn't mean that you cannot invest or
you cannot do that. You have to be in a way that makes sense to you, but never, never get something,
never get so much food in your mother you cannot do. For me, it was just kind of like, you know,
if you fall, you just get back up. Like, you just got to keep on going, keep on going. And I think,
(16:25):
I think that that's true of just the immigrant story, right? Like, you know, you come to new
place and it's completely different than what you're used to. And then, you know, they're going to be
countless bumps in the road, right? But you just have to keep on going, keep on going,
keep on going. So I think that that's definitely was centered, centered to how, how like my parents,
(16:47):
you know, how it was raised. So where can people buy your product?
On our website mainly, but again, they can find us some, sometimes in markets, in events, corporate
events, pop up stores. What's the difference when people talk about, you go to the supermarket and
you see virgin olive oil, extra virgin olive oil, what's the difference? Like, if you just talked
(17:08):
about virgin, extra virgin, like real, real quick, I mean, how do you explain that?
There is a huge difference between virgin olive oil or extra virgin olive oil or just olive oil
itself. So extra virgin is just the purest form that's put it this way, or the olive oil. As soon
as you harvest, you press them, no temperature, no chemicals, and you bound. That's it. There's no
(17:36):
more process. As soon as you put chemicals or you put heat to extract the olive oil, we are talking
about another quality. So what's virgin versus extra virgin? What's the difference between
when you see that? So one of the main points, the acidity, the acidity of the extra virgin olive
oil cannot be more than 0.8%. If it's more, like usually if it's processed, like if it's really
(18:04):
processed with heat and chemicals or something else, the acidity is going to be much higher,
which is not good. So the extra virgin is the purest and healthiest?
Right. Right. Because essentially you want an oil that is, you know, we often liken it to like
squeezing an orange, right? So you get an orange, it's nice, it's ripe, it's full of juice, it's
(18:26):
ready to be squeezed, you squeeze it, and you have that orange juice, right? And so it's nice and
full of nutrients and it's delicious, the taste is great, right? And so that's kind of like what
you would call cold press, essentially, right? And that's exactly what olive oil cold press means.
They, when we get the fruit, we squeeze it, we have it, and you have that same kind of
flavor profile in terms of it being rich and you can, you can taste, you can taste the difference.
(18:48):
That's just like you can with fresh fruits, orange. Why so important extra virgin olive oil?
Because it's the only form or the only form that preserve all the nutrients in that.
I think we just want people to know that, you know, for us and for our oil, for example,
you can be assured that, you know, like when the product was harvested, when it was bottled,
(19:09):
and because of that, you can taste the freshness, right? So a lot of times we find that when
people just even taste the oil, like they're like, oh, I don't know what olive oil is,
it tastes like or doesn't have a taste or how do you know what it tastes? We're like,
don't worry about it, just try it and your body itself will know what's good and you'll see.
And a lot of people like, oh, wow, like that's great, that's true. And we can see it with our eyes
(19:32):
in front of us, especially when we get the chance to meet clients face to face.
We want to thank you guys because this was amazing to hear about you, your business,
how you started, your family, your heritage, and then to get so many facts about why what you're
doing is so important, right? Like though the product you're working with is so important,
besides, you know, enjoying it, there's other benefits, right? Right. Which is awesome to have
(19:56):
those two things. So thank you for being guests on our show. We really enjoyed this. This is so
awesome. Thank you. We really enjoyed it. We have had a great time. We appreciate it for sure.
We wish you the best of luck. Thank you. Thank you so much.
To find out more about Jorge and Tiffany and their healthy olive oils, visit floordilajara.com.
(20:23):
That is F L O R D E L A J A R A.com. Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed this podcast,
please share, subscribe, and give us a review. We would so appreciate it. A couple of entrepreneurs
is available on all podcast platforms. For more information about our business and what we do,
(20:50):
visit brandingshorts.com. Thanks for listening.
Hi, I'm Tony Parente. And I'm Mickey Pagano Parente. We're owners of Brandy
(00:13):
Short's Creative Content Agency. And we're a couple of entrepreneurs. We started this
podcast because there are so many couples in business, just like us. Entrepreneurs who
took risks. Some even spent their life savings to build a successful business together without
ending their relationships. In this podcast, you'll hear their inspiring stories, get tips,
(00:38):
advice, and the secret to success for any entrepreneurial journey. Welcome to our podcast,
a couple of entrepreneurs. A man from Spain, a woman of Jamaican heritage, a three generation
family tradition, and the perfect marriage of love, family, and food. Meet Jorge and Tiffany,
(00:58):
co-founders of Flor de la Jara, producers of an extraordinary premium extra virgin olive oil.
Thank you guys so much for joining. You'll be here. You have an incredible business. First, if you
guys just want to introduce yourselves and tell us the name of your business. So I'm Tiffany.
(01:21):
This is Jorge. And we are Flor de la Jara. We started an olive oil business, extra virgin olive
oil company. Jorge's family has been producing olive oil in Spain on their family land for three
generations. And so we've decided to bring it to the state. So it's bottled there. And how do you
sell it here? And what kind of customers do you sell to? Is it all consumers? Is it businesses?
(01:46):
Is it, so how do you do that? We ship it here to the states in bulk. And then we ship it to whoever,
to our clients, essentially. So we do a lot of direct to consumer. We've also had company chairs,
events, some markets as well. And why, like, why did you guys decide to start this business? I mean,
(02:09):
maybe you want to talk a little bit about your backgrounds before you started it? And then why
did you want to? And why together? And why together? Right. So these business, when I started living in
the States, I was like, Oh my God, what's going on? There's not a decent olive oil in the market.
And I was like, really struggling because as a Spaniard, everything is about olive oil. Our
(02:31):
astronomy is like, we use it for the skiing, we use it sometimes even for our hair. I don't start
day without my my spoon of olive oil. So when I arrived to the States, I say, My gosh, I really
need to do something because I cannot find a really decent olive oil. So this into foods,
into like a health stuff, this a foodie. And 2017, we start talking about commercializing the olive
(02:56):
oil of my family in the States. I was going to say also, like just just blending families, right?
Because my family, we're originally from Jamaica. So I'm a first generation American here,
part of the immigrants the States, and then then we have a family. So it's just nice to bring
the two sides together as well as continue like a tradition that's been going on for so long.
(03:17):
So that was also important to us, I think, just to kind of continue what's been going on in the
future. And so that's why for us, it was it was really, really cool. And what did you get before
you started your company? What were you guys doing before this business? What's your work? We're still
working. I'm an engineer. And I'm a physician. You always hear about the health benefits of
olive oil from your experience in that field. Was that part of what drew you to this business?
(03:43):
Yeah. So I mean, that was definitely one aspect of it for sure, right? Because people just in
general, it's great to be healthy. And it's, it's, it's, it's a necessity really, right? But also
just kind of the legacy and the tradition, the families and also having our own family,
it kind of, that was the thing that was like, well, what can we do together?
That perhaps like maybe our son would be also, you know, interested in when he gets older.
(04:07):
Yeah, absolutely. For us, it was very important to give the legacy
and that our child will continue the, the business. Our son, he loves olive oil and he's just taking
olive oil in the morning with some bread as a breakfast. He love it. Like, he's just like his
favorite. And it's funny enough because growing up, like, like I said, my parents are from,
are from Jamaica. My mom used to give me cod liver oil. It's not the same as olive oil,
(04:31):
obviously, but it's just, just definitely nutritious. And so the concept of having a spoon of oil a day
is not a foreign concept to me as well. Olive oil is a super food. It is. It absolutely is. I mean,
growing up Italian, my dad, I mean, he's from Italy. So yes, we have olive oil every day.
Do you guys see yourself doing this full time one day in the future?
(04:54):
That would be our dream. Yes. That would be our dream. Because for me, for her, but both,
is something that we are pursuing and I think that it will come. I mean, we are pretty sure it will
come. It's just a matter of doing things good in a good way and in a fair way and work hard
(05:15):
and trust on everything and keep going. That's right. We started the same way. We started
other jobs when we started our business. We were working in advertising and then he was in corporate
America and then it came to a tipping point and we just had to do long hands on deck, had to do it
full time. But it's, but it's small. I mean, the way you guys are doing is very smart, right?
(05:37):
Because you're letting it build and you still have the financial resources. Otherwise, then you have
a child, right? And then you just let it build and build. So when you guys started the business,
what were the things you first thought about? Like, I mean, we're going to start a business.
We have to do these like three things. Like, this is what we have to do to get this thing off the
ground. What were those things in your head that just did launch this? One of the first things we
(06:01):
thought to ourselves is like, you know, can this actually work? Right? How is this logistically
going to work? And that's important because honestly, our oil, we always, I always say,
it's like if you came with us to Spain, and we bottled it for you and gave it to you, right?
Because there's no middle person involved at all. It's just all, it's just the family, essentially.
And so another thing was, how do we make sure that, you know, our family is involved, right?
(06:27):
Because we have family there, we have family here, when harvest time is there, we've gone
as a family and done it and got the olives from the trees and so forth. And even on our side here
in the States, which is where my family is currently, they've also, you know, helped us,
they're big fans and helping us go to different events and so forth like that. And then thirdly,
(06:47):
just how we can sustain it, right? Like, so one of the goals is to basically, like we've said,
is to make this sustainable and make this so that perhaps, you know, our son, if he's interested,
can continue it and so forth. And I think just him being involved and seeing us and, you know,
he's there when we harvest and he's there when it's bottled, like the last harvest season he
(07:08):
was there. So just piquing his interest as well, I think it's another thing that we kind of thought of.
What are some of the challenges you guys face? You know, because every business says it's
challenges when you're trying to launch a new business. One of the things that we do or one of
the challenges was kind of constructing our own roles within the business, right? So
Jorge is a lot more creative than I am by far. And I very much kind of like an administrative
(07:35):
and analytical type of person because I actually enjoy that stuff and he enjoys that. And so kind
of defining separate roles. So there's not a lot of kind of bumping up the heads is definitely one
of the challenges that we saw initially. And then that's how we've kind of overcome it,
just kind of defining roles. And how do you guys come to it when you don't agree? Like,
(07:56):
how do you work it out? Like, how do you come to it? Because you've got the business, but then
you've got the personal side of it, right? So when you're starting a business with your spouse.
Well, that's a very good question. I will say that we try to put our feelings aside
and see what's better for the business. We put just a list of pros and cons and let's say,
(08:19):
okay, you think this, I think that let's put it together. Let's say, what is going to be more
important for the business? What is going to be more impactful for the business? Okay, no matter
what if you say, why say, let's go with that way. Definitely. And then try not to take things too
personally, right? And so, you know, it just understand that the goal is the same, which is for
the business to prosper. No, that's great advice for anybody, right? Because it's not, it's challenging
(08:45):
to start a business, but when you start with your significant other, it's like, it's easy to get that
personal life. Oh, it's so easy. And then you guys have these other jobs too, which right, and
there's stress there sometime, I'm just trying to put it all together. And then you have a kid.
And you have a kid. Right. And then that's really easy. Yes, I think. And then there's just general
life shopping, you know, cooking, you know, this just everything. It's like you try not to think
(09:09):
about about it like that in the list. Because then you're like, wow, this does sound a lot. It's very
crazy. Where are the benefits, right? Because you guys know each other better than just some
colleague, right? And your job, other jobs, right? So what are some of the pluses, you know, knowing
each other better when you start a business? I mean, we have a lot of fun. A lot of fun. It's a
like couple of activities that we are developing together. And we are getting us as something that
(09:34):
we, we have an interest in common, and we have something like, we have a lot of fun. We are on,
I mean, we are on an event or a tasting or, or we are doing, I don't know, whatever it is,
or doing videos for the social media. And we enjoy it. We enjoy something that are same as some
couples. Oh, you like playing tennis, let's play tennis together. So we don't like tennis. I mean,
(09:58):
I like to see, I like to watch tennis, but not to practice it. I'm more in a soccer side.
But it's a, it's a lot of fun doing that together, the business together. It's more than,
more than a business, something that we believe and we enjoy together, really together.
And do you find too that you can sometimes we hear a couple of talking about that,
(10:21):
and we see this too is like, we can push each other a little bit more sometimes because we know
each other better. Right? Like if we see something that this needs to be done when you're in an
office setting, you may not want to say that it risk because it's not where your boss takes, right?
But when you're as a couple, do you find that you can kind of maybe push each other in different
directions where maybe it's a benefit to the business? Yeah, I definitely think so. I was
(10:43):
just going to say also on that flip side of that, you know, making sure that there are roles and
making sure that you don't take it personally, right? The goal is the same. On the flip side of
that, the goal is the same, right? And so it is kind of, it is kind of nice in terms of you can
lean on your partner and you can also say, okay, you know what, I know you can do this, like,
(11:04):
can you try and do this a little bit? Or can you spend some more time and do, and knowing that the
person again is coming from a good place, the goal is the same, it's a lot easier to take that when,
or to receive it rather than, you know, than if it weren't the case. Also try trusting each other,
like sometimes you don't have to be involved in all the activities of the business. You gotta
(11:26):
sometimes let it go and I don't have to supervise or see that it has to supervise on me or to check
on me or something, you know? I know that she's gonna do it, she's gonna do it well.
That's great. That's great. That's great advice. Have you guys had any, you know,
things that have happened in like any old wow moments? Like, wow, I can't believe we just did
that. Or I can't believe that just happened, like starting a business, like if you've gone to events
(11:47):
or shows or to try and promote the business. Yeah. So I would say actually coming up next week,
we're going to the Summer Fancy Food Show, we're kind of like, that we're like, wow, like, we're
so excited. Yes. We can't believe, you're in that realm, right? Where we can't believe like this is
happening and even just small markets and so forth, that's, those are always also nice and just
(12:11):
meeting and interacting with customers, which I think in the beginning it was really, for us,
something new, right? Because it's not something that we, our regular jobs, whatever, call for in
that way. It's so exciting, no matter what. And we get a lot of feedback from the, from the people,
the people can try, the people can ask you the questions. I don't know, it's very, it's really
(12:34):
enjoyable. You talked a lot about a family business, but a lot of, you know, partners don't go into
business together, right? Did you hear like, sometimes it's good, sometimes not so good.
What did your friends and relatives say? Like, hey, you know what, I'm going to business with her,
I'm going to business with him. Like, what kind of reactions did you guys get? From my side,
everybody was very supportive. They know us very well. As we say, we are the best team ever. Yes.
(13:00):
So for us, like, we enjoy doing everything together. Yeah. And for the people surrounding us,
I think that it was some kind of a, like normal or something that they was not nothing extraordinary.
Right. So that's great. We're very similar. We do everything together. We're like, oh, okay, we're
co-dependent. I know, I know. It's like, but it's good because you can, you know, I think we had a
(13:22):
pretty positive reaction from some friends and some friends are like, are you kidding me?
I would never work with my son. Yeah, like, we get, we have both, it's funny, we have both sides of it.
Plus, I don't see who will be a better partner for a visa than my wife. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, who's
going to look after our interests better than your wife? Yeah, that's very true. There's no
(13:44):
perfect partner, obviously, because I mean, everybody's human. Everybody's human. But if I
choose one, and I will have to choose again, I would choose her. That's true. I think that's awesome.
I love that. Yeah, that's awesome. If you were talking to other, and maybe you've done this already,
other people that are partners that are thinking about going into business together,
(14:07):
what would you tell them? What would you tell them? Like in terms of any kind of guiding principles
that, you know, to be successful? Try not to make whatever happens into the business life,
leap into the personal life, especially when things are maybe contentious, right? When things are
going great, it's great. I mean, everybody loves that. But when things are contentious, it's,
you know, you kind of want to make sure you have the ability to compartmentalize and say, okay,
(14:30):
this is, this is work, essentially. And this is, this is home. This is fun. Take it as another
couple activity that you can enjoy. No, no, take it as a hustle that is going to be, oh my god,
it's going to be a hustle. If you start feeling that way, better don't start. If you feel like it's
work with your wife, it's going to be a hassle. It's like, and he's not going to be fun. He's
not going to be, that's better don't start. I'm just curious too, it's like, this is great. Thank
(14:54):
you guys for sharing all this. Any surprises, like when you started a business, like things that
happened when you started the business, like, wow, I didn't mean that's interesting. You know, like,
you were, you didn't see things, some things coming that, you know, good, bad, whatever, just in
general, like, you think that everything is going to be good, everything is going to go smoothly,
but sometimes there's some bump on the walls. It's supposed to be a learning process. I won't go to
(15:19):
sleep ever without learning something in personal or professional in my life. I will never say that
I know everything. So everything is a, every day is a lesson and you have to learn.
Part of life. It's part of life. It's part of life. It's part of life. It's a learning course as well.
So you are getting better, better and better when you are doing as soon as you are learning.
(15:40):
Or the bad experience you learn more sometimes. Is there any advice on both your sides when you
guys, as you guys grew up from your family, it seems like you're very close rich families,
but that you receive, that you think about now as you start your business? I have a very
funny story because my father used to repeat all the time and in a very funny way always, like,
(16:01):
you have five dollars, not a specific thing. I mean, it doesn't mean that you cannot invest or
you cannot do that. You have to be in a way that makes sense to you, but never, never get something,
never get so much food in your mother you cannot do. For me, it was just kind of like, you know,
if you fall, you just get back up. Like, you just got to keep on going, keep on going. And I think,
(16:25):
I think that that's true of just the immigrant story, right? Like, you know, you come to new
place and it's completely different than what you're used to. And then, you know, they're going to be
countless bumps in the road, right? But you just have to keep on going, keep on going,
keep on going. So I think that that's definitely was centered, centered to how, how like my parents,
(16:47):
you know, how it was raised. So where can people buy your product?
On our website mainly, but again, they can find us some, sometimes in markets, in events, corporate
events, pop up stores. What's the difference when people talk about, you go to the supermarket and
you see virgin olive oil, extra virgin olive oil, what's the difference? Like, if you just talked
(17:08):
about virgin, extra virgin, like real, real quick, I mean, how do you explain that?
There is a huge difference between virgin olive oil or extra virgin olive oil or just olive oil
itself. So extra virgin is just the purest form that's put it this way, or the olive oil. As soon
as you harvest, you press them, no temperature, no chemicals, and you bound. That's it. There's no
(17:36):
more process. As soon as you put chemicals or you put heat to extract the olive oil, we are talking
about another quality. So what's virgin versus extra virgin? What's the difference between
when you see that? So one of the main points, the acidity, the acidity of the extra virgin olive
oil cannot be more than 0.8%. If it's more, like usually if it's processed, like if it's really
(18:04):
processed with heat and chemicals or something else, the acidity is going to be much higher,
which is not good. So the extra virgin is the purest and healthiest?
Right. Right. Because essentially you want an oil that is, you know, we often liken it to like
squeezing an orange, right? So you get an orange, it's nice, it's ripe, it's full of juice, it's
(18:26):
ready to be squeezed, you squeeze it, and you have that orange juice, right? And so it's nice and
full of nutrients and it's delicious, the taste is great, right? And so that's kind of like what
you would call cold press, essentially, right? And that's exactly what olive oil cold press means.
They, when we get the fruit, we squeeze it, we have it, and you have that same kind of
flavor profile in terms of it being rich and you can, you can taste, you can taste the difference.
(18:48):
That's just like you can with fresh fruits, orange. Why so important extra virgin olive oil?
Because it's the only form or the only form that preserve all the nutrients in that.
I think we just want people to know that, you know, for us and for our oil, for example,
you can be assured that, you know, like when the product was harvested, when it was bottled,
(19:09):
and because of that, you can taste the freshness, right? So a lot of times we find that when
people just even taste the oil, like they're like, oh, I don't know what olive oil is,
it tastes like or doesn't have a taste or how do you know what it tastes? We're like,
don't worry about it, just try it and your body itself will know what's good and you'll see.
And a lot of people like, oh, wow, like that's great, that's true. And we can see it with our eyes
(19:32):
in front of us, especially when we get the chance to meet clients face to face.
We want to thank you guys because this was amazing to hear about you, your business,
how you started, your family, your heritage, and then to get so many facts about why what you're
doing is so important, right? Like though the product you're working with is so important,
besides, you know, enjoying it, there's other benefits, right? Right. Which is awesome to have
(19:56):
those two things. So thank you for being guests on our show. We really enjoyed this. This is so
awesome. Thank you. We really enjoyed it. We have had a great time. We appreciate it for sure.
We wish you the best of luck. Thank you. Thank you so much.
To find out more about Jorge and Tiffany and their healthy olive oils, visit floordilajara.com.
(20:23):
That is F L O R D E L A J A R A.com. Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed this podcast,
please share, subscribe, and give us a review. We would so appreciate it. A couple of entrepreneurs
is available on all podcast platforms. For more information about our business and what we do,
(20:50):
visit brandingshorts.com. Thanks for listening.
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