March 27, 2025 • 33 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
It's that time, time, time, time, luck and load. So
Michael vari Show is on the air.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
I mean, eight years is a long time in professional sports.
But I was just advised by our team that on
this Major League opening day, jose L Tuve is the
only starter left from the Astros twenty seventeen World Series team.
Lance mccullor is being the other and I guess he's
(00:58):
not back healthy yet. Is that? Is that what I'm understanding?
What is his issue? I wonder I shouldn't say this
till I know what his issue is. But he throws
about two thirds breaking balls, and I think for several
years he was the highest percentage of breaking ball pitch
(01:21):
pitchers in Major League Baseball, and I wonder if that
doesn't take a toll on him. You know, I still say,
you do what Sparky did. There's a great documentary on
knuckleball pitchers, and if you notice, the knuckleball pitchers have
pitched well into their forties, the Negro Boys, the Perry's Gaylord,
(01:45):
and Jim Tim Wakefield. For those of you in the
baseball mood, there's a documentary. Maybe chadill tell me where
it was. I can't remember where it was. Exactly. But
there's a wonderful documentary on the on the knuckleball, and
it's and how they're able to pitch so deep into
(02:09):
their life because the arm speed is just you. You're
just throwing BP. Basically, it's it's all about the nail.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
Read.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Ryan told me a story one time about a guy
who was it. You knew it, you'd know his name
if I could. I can think of it right now.
He played for the Rangers, and Reid was I guess
a teenage kid. And that guy would say, hey, come
warm me up, read and he said, you would just
dread it because it's warm up. He was not throwing
(02:37):
heaters at you. He was he'd take that that middle fingernail,
dig it into the ball and throw it. It was
just it was like a woofle ball, except it was
a big, heavy baseball. And he said, you know, the
next morning you wake up and your shins are bruised
and your cheek is bruised. And I said, but you
kept doing it, and he said, oh, absolutely, I was
(02:58):
an honor to do it. He did an email from
a fellow named Jim Martel who said, zar I am
friends with a family here in League City, those of
you outside of Houston, that's south of Houston, kind of
clear Lake area on the way to Galveston, who despite
major hurdles, have their business flourishing through persistence, perseverance, and prayer.
David and Stacy Corterro do not know I'm writing to you. Nevertheless,
(03:22):
I believe their story is inspirational to anybody who pulls
for small business owners like you do. David also told
me he's writing a book which chronicles there's their amazing journey. Sadly,
this story doesn't have a good ending. David Corterro died.
I don't know what happened, but he's not on the phone.
(03:42):
We're supposed to talk to him at nine. We haven't
heard from him. Well, I'm just saying, if he did die,
then you'd be like, how did you know had a
feeling or maybe he didn't die. Maybe he's dead to me. No,
he's not dead to me. Don't get your feelings hurt,
literal lady. With God, all things are possible. Sicilian Village
started with the marinated olive recipe passed down from my grandfather.
(04:06):
The production and distribution facility is located in League City.
It's family owned and operated Sicilian Village olives landed at
HB in twenty sixteen. NASA started flying our olives to
the ISS in twenty seventeen. Sicilian Village olives are also
available at publics, wind Dixie, Safeway, Albertson's, Market Basket, Rezers
(04:32):
that might be him, High v and Jungle Gems. How
many of those have you been to. I've been to
a wind Dixie. I've been to at Albertson's, but it's
been a long time ago. I went to a Safeway.
Was Safeway, the one that was employee owned. You remember,
I've been to a market Basket. We had market Basket
(04:52):
in Orange. Market Basket was a high end grocery store.
So truth be told. My dad would saying, that's the
working man's grocery store. Oh really, yep, good wages Union
union over there, market Basket. Well, how come we don't
shop there? Too expensive? Wait, so we like that grosery.
(05:14):
We root for them. Yeah, they need to serve it,
they need to make It's only place somebody work a
full time job support their family. Market Basket. My good
friend Brandon Landry, we grew up playing ball together, very
good friends. He was raised by a single mom, Sheila Landry,
and Sheila had some role at the market Basket. I
(05:35):
don't know if she was head teller, assistant manager. I
I don't know what her title was, but she was
a full time person. She always had the Sheila tag
on her. He would have been left. Do you where
you tagging your left breast? You're right, I can't remember.
But she always had a smile on her face, always
had her hair back in that style of the sixties,
(05:59):
that ladies are aways where I love that style. Such
a sweet lady. She was like another mom to me
and she They weren't rich by any stretching imagination. It
was a full time job. She could pay their bills.
Is that him? Well, what are y'all doing?
Speaker 3 (06:13):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (06:14):
I didn't know he was ready? Oh anyway, So market
Basket was one of those places that you know, we
liked him. The nice things would be said as we
drove past them. We liked them, but uh, yeah, we're
still going. We're still going to Pigley Wiggley or the
budget Chopper or whatever else was cheaper. That isn't isn't
it funny? How would do that?
Speaker 3 (06:34):
David?
Speaker 2 (06:37):
Yes, I was afraid you had died. I'm so glad
you're here.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
Thank you. No, I'm here, I'm alive.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
David and Stacy. Pronounce your last name.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
It's pronounced Cortero.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
Why would that a be an a if it's Italian?
You just do that because it's Texas.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
Well, my grandfather americanized our name when many years ago
it used to be Courterero courtA vero, so court trrero
court ar.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Yeah, that's not as easy. You got to frill that
are It's not easy. Let me ask you a question.
That's I'm always interested, and you know, people make decisions
until you know it, you don't understand why, and it
makes you know more about your business than I do.
There is not a phone number in existence for Sicilian village.
I looked everywhere. Is that it is just inefficient to
(07:31):
be tracked down by phone? No, No, I get it.
I'm serious.
Speaker 3 (07:37):
You know, I'm not sure how why that's it's so
hard to find my number. But most of my buyers
they meet me through trade shows and uh events and
reach out to me through email.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
And but you had to make a decision. There's not
a phone number blasted. This might be this might be
something we all learned from did you find that phone
callers or look you lose that you couldn't concentrate that
was pulling you. You know, Mattress Mac gives out a
cell phone to anybody, but if he has a message
that says, don't email me, I don't have time to
read you help. You want to see me, you come
(08:13):
to the shop. You'll see me behind the counter. Because
he learned that was the most efficient use anyway. Sicilian
Village dot com will talk to him coming up. Jello
putting fops posen putting on a stake.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
The Michael Berry Show, Jello brand pudding pops made with
the goodness of real Jello pudding.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Like I'm never know.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
You gave life too Archidee.
Speaker 3 (08:42):
And to me.
Speaker 1 (08:45):
Hell reason to gold your librid.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
I love messages like this. A fellow named Jim Martel
in League City sent me a message that he was
friends with a fellow who was shooting his dream place
called Sicilian Village with with a marinate and olive recipe
that was passed down from the owner's grandfather. Him and
his wife have a production facility in League City, family
(09:13):
owned and operated. Started at hub. You know, for a
lot of folks that make a product, whether that's a
marinera sauce, or olive oil or whatever that may be
getting in hib is the moment you haven't made it
because it can be withdrawn, but it is the moment
(09:36):
that can make or break, certainly make your business if
it goes off well. There have been entire businesses that
have flourished because they got in the door. I'm gonna
tell you something. That's space on those shelves. I know
a lot about it. That is tough space to get
and it makes a difference. This Saturday will be the
(09:56):
thirtieth anniversary April Fool's Day. True story. I was talking
to the owner of Laboucherie yesterday and he said, yes,
I was a fool for starting this thing thirty years ago,
but no regrets and it is doing so well. Some
of you will remember we were talking about beef tallow
and Robert F. Kennedy was saying that that, you know,
(10:18):
we got away from beef tallow, corporate food production became
poison and the government was involved in the scheme, and
how much better beef tallow is for you than the
manufactured product they're doing today. So I called my buddy
who owns laboucherie, and I said, hey, we could really
(10:40):
make waves if you will sell beef tallow. Jason Oya, Sorry,
I didn't roll say. I didn't say his name, Jason Oya.
It's spelled like haul your h O L L I
E R, but it's oh ya. I said, if you
could sell beef tallow, I will promote it. I would
our people would be fired up to get bef tallow
and just rendered fat from what you're already processing, which
(11:04):
is meats all day long. He's on Kirkandall in Spring
La boucherie the butchery in French b o U c
h E R I E R I E yeah. And
he said, okay, let me check into it. He goes,
we have an FDA inspector here full time who monitors
because we are a food service production and because of
(11:26):
our volume. So he comes back and he says, well,
there's a little more to it than I thought, but
we're going to do it. I like the idea, and
I don't know if we'll make any money, but I
agree with you. It's it's a cool thing to do,
and we can show that it can be done. Maybe
some people start doing it at their home. Maybe other
businesses will match what we're doing. It'll be good. Well,
I've got Matt Bryce at Federal American Girl fired up
(11:48):
that he will take all the tallow you can deliver.
And he said, okay, let me get let me get
us able to sell the tallow first, and then because
now getting into the food service delivery business, that's another
FDA approval and that's going to take longer. But I
will commit to you. I will get on it. So
(12:08):
he called me two days ago and he said, all right,
we're ready to go. I can't ship it yet, I
can't deliver it yet, but for anybody who comes into Labucherie,
we will sell them tallow. And we are trying to
beef up production ramon to meet the demand that was
(12:29):
off the cuff. That's production ya right there. Now a
lot of people could have done that. They really couldn't.
And he said, but you know, Saturday is our big
open house, it's our thirty year anniversary. Everybody's coming out.
There's great deals, there's all this, there's all this, and
so any of your people who come out, they can
get the beef tallow. That's what Oh, let's steer it
(12:51):
back to David very well done. You were wrangling the
interview and I guess I should move over. That's a
cringe right there. That's a good cringe right there, David CORTERO, Yes, sir,
(13:13):
are you involved in this olive thing?
Speaker 4 (13:16):
Uh?
Speaker 2 (13:16):
There was a TV show about a Muslim guy Palestinian
who lives here. He's got rap friends. I think Netflix
has to show and they go to an olive vineyard.
Was that what we called olive olive grove? Yeah? Are
you involved with that?
Speaker 3 (13:35):
Ye? No, sir, I was not.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
Do you know those people?
Speaker 3 (13:40):
I do not.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
Is this interview not going like you expected?
Speaker 3 (13:46):
No, it's perfectly fine. It's like I expected it to be.
Speaker 2 (13:50):
Hey, I asked Jim. I was chewing Jim's aster in
the break. I said, he didn't call in on time,
and we didn't have a cell phone number. You're supposed
to have a cell phone number for him so we
can call he goes. He wouldn't give it to me.
I said, what this guy? This is sketchy. He's already
in the olive business. Sicilian, what is going on here?
I hope this turns out to be half as interesting
as I hope it is. Okay, So so tell what
(14:11):
were you doing. Let's go back. Where were you born?
Speaker 3 (14:17):
I was born in League City, Texas.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
Where'd you meet Stacy?
Speaker 3 (14:22):
I met Stacy in nineteen ninety five at an apartment
complex in clear Lake and she was managing the the
office and I was a resident. And when I met her,
I was actually going to be turning in my notice.
I was going to I was going to move out,
and when I met Stacy, I decided to make another
(14:44):
six months and ended up falling in love with her.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
And you got free rent forty years now married.
Speaker 3 (14:51):
Oh yeah, we got everything. I'm very, very fortunate to
have her in my life.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
And uh so, what's the history on the on the olives?
Speaker 3 (15:02):
Well, my grandfather shared this recipe with me in nineteen
ninety nine, and when we started to make the all
of us four friends and family and neighbors, they encouraged
me to, you know, try to make a business out
of it, because the flavor was not matched or found
(15:23):
in the in the grocery stores, and so we you know,
we just had to come up with a name, and
we figured that Sicilian Village would be a perfect name
for the for the business.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
I like the name. I'll be honestly a lot of
times I don't like names, but for something about this
when I first read it before you went to your website,
it just it feels good.
Speaker 3 (15:45):
Thank you. Yeah, it was a divine name. It was
given to me about one thirty in the morning, and
it was you know, it turned out to be the
perfect fit. One thing that was missing from the from
the grocery market. It was just you know, authentic traditional
Sicilian foods. I mean, there's there are Sicilian foods on
(16:06):
the market, but the marinated olive was missing. And the
way that we've we've prepared this, all of it, it
truly is a It's a memorable food, all right.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
Hold on, I want to I want you to tell
me how you make it and why it being marinated
is important, and all the different ways I can use
this Sicilian village dot com marinated all? Is this the Klamado?
Speaker 3 (16:31):
The Michael we have cold.
Speaker 5 (16:40):
Hand the ground.
Speaker 2 (16:41):
He's our man here how in one here and one
there is everywhere over here, some run over and there
in one here and one there everywhere all there how
(17:01):
in the ball where they eat in our town. He's
a saint. That's all your how to bay. He might
be just my foot three. But he's the league and
be beat. That's all your how to by. It's one here,
it's one there, fens everywhere, but come over here. I'll
(17:23):
run over there. It's one here, it's one there, It's everywhere.
That's all your how to bay. Houston Town is so cheery.
Took us to the World Series. That's allgier how to bay.
(17:48):
The Tiger team will be so blue when pulls us through.
That's all your how to It's one here, it's one there,
it's every Portio and ride. Stacey thirty years married, own
Sicilian village dot com. Don't try to reach him by phone.
It's not happening. I'm not convinced he has a phone.
He's probably calling from a payphone. He does not want
(18:10):
to be called. But their website is Sicilian Village dot com.
So David, I just went back kind of stereotypes and
limited knowledge. I'm very interested in Mediterranean lifestyle, Mediterranean food,
and I thought to myself, you know the olive thing.
(18:30):
I thought, I've always thought of olives as more Greek,
so I looked it up and it says the Klamado
olive is a large, dark purple olive with a smooth,
meaty texture, named after the city of Kalamada in the
southern Peloponnese in Greece. Often used as table olives, they're
usually preserved in wine, vinegar or olive oil. Typically, the
(18:53):
term Kalamada legally refers to a region of Greece where
these olives are grown. But the Sicilians have come in
and stolen the olives. I did not know that, Is
that true, David?
Speaker 3 (19:08):
I wouldn't say we stole the olives. And you know,
Sicily was a kind of the passing, a little stopping
point in the Mediterranean for for gosh, hundreds of years.
And so the olive reached the the Sicilian island. And
I chose the colamadea olive, just you know, for the
(19:30):
flavor of it. And once we'd marinated, it has a
very unique flavor with the spices that we add to it.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
Okay, if I couldn't see it, which would give me
the color and some clues like that, And and it
was cut so that I couldn't tell the size differential.
And you had five olives out there, and four of
one type, And would I be able to tell the Klamada?
And if I did, what would be the flavor profile
that would hit me. What would be the notes? Tramon
would say, Okay, so an olive, once it's harvard harvested,
(20:02):
it takes it has to be cured.
Speaker 3 (20:05):
And there's two ways to cure it olive. There's the
the unnatural chemical bay in a lie solution or a
natural salt salt solution, and it takes about nine months
to cure the olive naturally. And that's does that's where
we start. We start with a naturally cured olive. And
the notes that you would find in a Colonnado would
be A it's kind of a fruity buttery texture and
(20:31):
it's just a it's just a very pleasant flavor. I
guess the best way to put it, especially when it's
naturally cured.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
So I looked it up. I wasn't sure what an
olive actually was. I mean, you know, from a from
a biology perspective, and it says the olive from the
term oly A europea, meaning European olive, is a species
of small tree or shrub in the family Olah found
traditionally in the terranean basin, with file wild subspecies found
(21:03):
further a field in Africa and Western Asia, when in
shrub form, it is known as olier europea montra dwarf
olive or a little olive. So is this I don't
under I'm trying to. I'm looking at pictures of it
in its natural form? Is this like a berry at
the end of the shrub? What actually is an olive?
(21:27):
An olive is a fruit.
Speaker 3 (21:30):
It's a considered a fruit, and it, you know, has
the seed inside. And an olive is actually a superfood
and has omega three, omega six, lots of minerals and
invitamins and and it's a it's like a natural multi vitamin.
Speaker 2 (21:48):
All right, So your grandfather gives you this recipe and
you start with it and give me the the one
minute version of Honey, I'm thinking, I'm I'm going to
produce this and sell it to everybody. How does that happen?
Where's the funding come from? How did you know? What kitchen?
Did you use? What taught me through that? In one minute?
Speaker 3 (22:10):
Okay?
Speaker 2 (22:11):
Music? Okay, I'll sold you have one minute with the
music is very important? Here, hold on, are you ready?
Here we go?
Speaker 3 (22:18):
Okay, dream.
Speaker 2 (22:23):
Oh wow, this is gonna be a big undertaking. That's
probably why I won't give us phone on my go ahead, okay.
Speaker 3 (22:31):
So my wife and I we were on daycation actually
in Saint John's in Britain, the Virgin Islands, and Stacey
and I decided to just go ahead and make a
run for the for the business and start it. I
had to write a business plan and try to find
(22:52):
an investor and I was able to buy him on
in twenty fourteen, built out a kitchen in League City
to produce the olives, and bought some machines. We scheduled
sometime at a trade show in New York City and
met the global food buyer at HIV there asked them
to give me a shot at the selling dollives at
(23:12):
the stores. They opened up about one hundred and seventy
locations to me at the very beginning, and the rest
is history. We hit the market and it has completely
changed our lives. We've had orders every week.
Speaker 2 (23:29):
And David, hold on, hold on, So you did that
in fifty seven seconds? That isn't I live in thirty
and sixty and eight minute packets of time, so the
guys last, I can talk for seven minutes and fifty
eight seconds or so without ever looking at a clock.
Because it's so built into mine. For you to drill
(23:50):
that in fifty seven seconds with no, that's impressive. Why
did they give you a shot? I mean you got
to figure thatverybody else had this idea. There are plenty
of other olives. What about I mean, obviously he would
have tasted your olives, he would have liked it. Did
he see a market with the Mediterranean diet for more olives?
(24:11):
What was the thinking there?
Speaker 3 (24:14):
You know, we spent about almost an hour in just
in an improv meeting with the global food buyer. And
I think it was a combination of the flavor of
the product, the name of the product, the passion that
my family and I had, my wife and my son
(24:35):
and my daughter. We were all at the show together
and it was the very beginning of this endeavor. And
I believe that he found what he needed to find
in us and gave us a shot.
Speaker 2 (24:55):
It's sin. I don't eat olives, I don't care for all.
My wife loves olives, gone loves all us. But I'm
fascinated by the business of this and something so you
this is thousands of years old, Michael very show, enjoy it.
Speaker 5 (25:09):
You love all this olix, Olix olives, all this olips olix,
all this, all this, all this, I know all this,
you love all this breathe of all this olix alix,
all this honest, honest fulips and lives, all this ODIs
(25:34):
all this fullives on this, all this, honest, all.
Speaker 2 (25:39):
This that song a lot of people don't realize was
actually about olives. David Cortero is our guest. Where do
you get these olives?
Speaker 4 (25:55):
What?
Speaker 3 (25:56):
We we ship them in from Greece? Uh, from just
south of bathrooms.
Speaker 2 (26:03):
So you go to the you have a distributor here?
Do you go to the port and pick up a
container of them? How do you receive them? Uh?
Speaker 3 (26:10):
Well, they come in through through on the ocean, and
we have a forty foot container that shows up at
our door every three weeks.
Speaker 2 (26:21):
A forty foot container shows up at your door. Yes, sir,
I am mildly obsessed with logistics. Who do you use?
Do you? So you have you have a freight company
that receives them at the dock at the port. Uh,
signs all the documentation and then brings them to your
(26:42):
literally to your residence or to your kitchen or that's
not the same, to my kitchen.
Speaker 3 (26:46):
Yeah, to my kitchen.
Speaker 2 (26:47):
Okay, and then they drop that and pick up the
one that was there before.
Speaker 3 (26:53):
Uh, once we unloaded, they bring it back to the
to the port. It's just a it's a one day
and around and they're.
Speaker 2 (27:00):
Doing this for lots of people. Oh, yes, I find
that way. Who is it like ex cargo? What I
recognize is a brand name I would recognize.
Speaker 3 (27:09):
Uh. Do you have you heard of Tanager Logistics?
Speaker 2 (27:12):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (27:13):
Yeah, that's what we used.
Speaker 2 (27:15):
So when you started all this, you had to find
a logistics company that could receive your product and bring
it to your kitchen and drop it reliably. Yes, did
you go on a buying trip to Greece? Did you
go tour through Greece and and go to all the
is it orchards? Are these orchards?
Speaker 3 (27:31):
Yes? They are orchards. I've met really all of my
suppliers through trade shows here Stateside and develop my relationships
that way. And I've got, you know, two to three
different suppliers for each item that I need, just to
keep things fair.
Speaker 2 (27:52):
And are you making this?
Speaker 3 (27:57):
No?
Speaker 4 (27:58):
No?
Speaker 3 (27:58):
What we do we mix the marriage aid that is
a it's a blend of extra virgin olive oil, red
wine vinegar, garlic, pepper, and oregano. And then we then
we marinate that the olives in that blend and repackage
them in a flexible package.
Speaker 2 (28:17):
And when you marinate on is it is it like
at a water level or is it? Is it some
kind of a paste that's mixed. How does that happen?
Speaker 3 (28:26):
Yeah, it's a liquid that we actually infuse into the
fruit of the olive.
Speaker 2 (28:33):
And and you don't have to tear the skin on
it or score it or whatever. It'll it'll absorb it.
Speaker 3 (28:39):
That's correct. And the seed has been removed, so so
the flesh is actually exposed through the through the pit
where the pit was.
Speaker 2 (28:50):
Is the seed removed when it arrives to you or
do you have to do that?
Speaker 3 (28:53):
It's already pitted when we receive them.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
What do they do with the with the seeds?
Speaker 3 (28:59):
You know, I don't know. I'm sure there's some kind
of market for pits somewhere.
Speaker 2 (29:04):
And when people buy these off the shelf at a
GiB what are they using these olives for? Primarily Martini's.
Speaker 3 (29:11):
No, it's not a drinking of this is a this
is a gourmet food item. People. People can eat these with,
you know, with some bread or a glass of wine
or some cheese on any kind of security board. A
lot of bus people just eat them alone by themselves.
(29:31):
It's an excellent, excellent snack for the brain. And it
just gives you. It gives you a little boost.
Speaker 2 (29:39):
It says you do colamado olives, green and black olives
and green olives. If you were to add a non
olive product, what would that be?
Speaker 3 (29:50):
Extra version olive oil?
Speaker 2 (29:52):
Really?
Speaker 3 (29:54):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (29:54):
And do you would? Do you make your own? Do
you press it here?
Speaker 4 (29:58):
No?
Speaker 3 (29:59):
I have a I have a supplier in Sicily that
would be supplying us without olive oil?
Speaker 2 (30:06):
Is that? And it is a item? Yes, it is.
Speaker 3 (30:09):
Actually, we will be bringing in some excellent quality olive oil.
This is first cold press unfiltered as an aroma that
you can you can tell it's different. It's very special.
Speaker 2 (30:23):
So a few years ago there was a massive scandal
because the olive oil is so expensive, and I think
it was the extra version I can't remember, but they
it was basically a bunk product that they were selling
a lot of and it wasn't pure. And how did
that happen? How did so many people get duped?
Speaker 4 (30:43):
I think we've been due for longer than we really
realized it. But the you know, to to make profits,
producers of all of extra virgin all bail would just
blend it with lesser quality, lesser quality of oils and
know call it extra.
Speaker 3 (31:01):
Virgin olive oil.
Speaker 2 (31:02):
Was there no quality control of them saying okay, now, no, no,
this I mean I got it that there are shysters
that want to make money with you know, basically diluting
more product that happens in every industry, but that people
didn't notice, people didn't comment.
Speaker 3 (31:15):
You know, I think it's obviously caught up with them
because the the flavor of the look of doll of oil,
the the way it tastes it, you know, once it's blended,
it's it's just not the same. And you know, I'm
glad to see that the producer that I found is
you know, they're doing it the right way.
Speaker 2 (31:37):
How often do you go over to Sicily or Greece,
however do you need to go and how often do
you actually go?
Speaker 3 (31:42):
Well, I have to get over there yearly for foreign verification,
food supply verifications and regulation purposes. But yeah, so it's
it's a yearly travel.
Speaker 2 (31:53):
Are those regulations with the Italian government or with the
American America.
Speaker 3 (32:00):
It's a global it's a global food safety project.
Speaker 2 (32:06):
Has that been for you? Has complying with those relations
going to hassle.
Speaker 3 (32:12):
It has not, not at all. I'm very happy to
be a part of food safety and good quality.
Speaker 2 (32:20):
Yeah, I mean there have to be some standards. I
do hear people that, you know. I think some people
just don't want to be bothered. They don't think feel
like they should. And some people have anxiety, you know,
like I'm when I have to take a test, I
might fail, when in fact that was overblown. But you know,
I think in some cases we probably have restrictions that
that that we don't need, uh in any case. Sicilian
(32:42):
Village dot Com David Cortero, good good luck to you, sir.
It's it's a great story and hopefully inspires someone else
to chase that dream. It's not promised success. It's not promised,
but at least you have no regrets. You tried.
Speaker 3 (32:55):
That's right. Well, thank you for inviting me and giving
me this chance to tell my story.
Speaker 2 (33:03):
Got it? Sicilian Village. How many days a month ramone?
Do you think you eat? At least one olive unrelated
to a martini fifteen. You eat olives every other day
on average in what form? You just pop them? Oh? Wow,
(33:24):
you know what I like? It doesn't get its du
is dates. I have a friend named Chris Pagala. He
and Jim McGrath a have a PR and strategic messaging
for him. Chris Pogala's wife is Venezuela, and if I
remember correct, maybe Colombian and twenty years ago or so,
she made a dish. We were all having dinner. She
made a dish that had a sweet cheese and it
(33:45):
almost like a cream cheese, and she put it inside
a date. My wife found that recipe and
It's that time, time, time, time, luck and load. So
Michael vari Show is on the air.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
I mean, eight years is a long time in professional sports.
But I was just advised by our team that on
this Major League opening day, jose L Tuve is the
only starter left from the Astros twenty seventeen World Series team.
Lance mccullor is being the other and I guess he's
(00:58):
not back healthy yet. Is that? Is that what I'm understanding?
What is his issue? I wonder I shouldn't say this
till I know what his issue is. But he throws
about two thirds breaking balls, and I think for several
years he was the highest percentage of breaking ball pitch
(01:21):
pitchers in Major League Baseball, and I wonder if that
doesn't take a toll on him. You know, I still say,
you do what Sparky did. There's a great documentary on
knuckleball pitchers, and if you notice, the knuckleball pitchers have
pitched well into their forties, the Negro Boys, the Perry's Gaylord,
(01:45):
and Jim Tim Wakefield. For those of you in the
baseball mood, there's a documentary. Maybe chadill tell me where
it was. I can't remember where it was. Exactly. But
there's a wonderful documentary on the on the knuckleball, and
it's and how they're able to pitch so deep into
(02:09):
their life because the arm speed is just you. You're
just throwing BP. Basically, it's it's all about the nail.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
Read.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Ryan told me a story one time about a guy
who was it. You knew it, you'd know his name
if I could. I can think of it right now.
He played for the Rangers, and Reid was I guess
a teenage kid. And that guy would say, hey, come
warm me up, read and he said, you would just
dread it because it's warm up. He was not throwing
(02:37):
heaters at you. He was he'd take that that middle fingernail,
dig it into the ball and throw it. It was
just it was like a woofle ball, except it was
a big, heavy baseball. And he said, you know, the
next morning you wake up and your shins are bruised
and your cheek is bruised. And I said, but you
kept doing it, and he said, oh, absolutely, I was
(02:58):
an honor to do it. He did an email from
a fellow named Jim Martel who said, zar I am
friends with a family here in League City, those of
you outside of Houston, that's south of Houston, kind of
clear Lake area on the way to Galveston, who despite
major hurdles, have their business flourishing through persistence, perseverance, and prayer.
David and Stacy Corterro do not know I'm writing to you. Nevertheless,
(03:22):
I believe their story is inspirational to anybody who pulls
for small business owners like you do. David also told
me he's writing a book which chronicles there's their amazing journey. Sadly,
this story doesn't have a good ending. David Corterro died.
I don't know what happened, but he's not on the phone.
(03:42):
We're supposed to talk to him at nine. We haven't
heard from him. Well, I'm just saying, if he did die,
then you'd be like, how did you know had a
feeling or maybe he didn't die. Maybe he's dead to me. No,
he's not dead to me. Don't get your feelings hurt,
literal lady. With God, all things are possible. Sicilian Village
started with the marinated olive recipe passed down from my grandfather.
(04:06):
The production and distribution facility is located in League City.
It's family owned and operated Sicilian Village olives landed at
HB in twenty sixteen. NASA started flying our olives to
the ISS in twenty seventeen. Sicilian Village olives are also
available at publics, wind Dixie, Safeway, Albertson's, Market Basket, Rezers
(04:32):
that might be him, High v and Jungle Gems. How
many of those have you been to. I've been to
a wind Dixie. I've been to at Albertson's, but it's
been a long time ago. I went to a Safeway.
Was Safeway, the one that was employee owned. You remember,
I've been to a market Basket. We had market Basket
(04:52):
in Orange. Market Basket was a high end grocery store.
So truth be told. My dad would saying, that's the
working man's grocery store. Oh really, yep, good wages Union
union over there, market Basket. Well, how come we don't
shop there? Too expensive? Wait, so we like that grosery.
(05:14):
We root for them. Yeah, they need to serve it,
they need to make It's only place somebody work a
full time job support their family. Market Basket. My good
friend Brandon Landry, we grew up playing ball together, very
good friends. He was raised by a single mom, Sheila Landry,
and Sheila had some role at the market Basket. I
(05:35):
don't know if she was head teller, assistant manager. I
I don't know what her title was, but she was
a full time person. She always had the Sheila tag
on her. He would have been left. Do you where
you tagging your left breast? You're right, I can't remember.
But she always had a smile on her face, always
had her hair back in that style of the sixties,
(05:59):
that ladies are aways where I love that style. Such
a sweet lady. She was like another mom to me
and she They weren't rich by any stretching imagination. It
was a full time job. She could pay their bills.
Is that him? Well, what are y'all doing?
Speaker 3 (06:13):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (06:14):
I didn't know he was ready? Oh anyway, So market
Basket was one of those places that you know, we
liked him. The nice things would be said as we
drove past them. We liked them, but uh, yeah, we're
still going. We're still going to Pigley Wiggley or the
budget Chopper or whatever else was cheaper. That isn't isn't
it funny? How would do that?
Speaker 3 (06:34):
David?
Speaker 2 (06:37):
Yes, I was afraid you had died. I'm so glad
you're here.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
Thank you. No, I'm here, I'm alive.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
David and Stacy. Pronounce your last name.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
It's pronounced Cortero.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
Why would that a be an a if it's Italian?
You just do that because it's Texas.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
Well, my grandfather americanized our name when many years ago
it used to be Courterero courtA vero, so court trrero
court ar.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Yeah, that's not as easy. You got to frill that
are It's not easy. Let me ask you a question.
That's I'm always interested, and you know, people make decisions
until you know it, you don't understand why, and it
makes you know more about your business than I do.
There is not a phone number in existence for Sicilian village.
I looked everywhere. Is that it is just inefficient to
(07:31):
be tracked down by phone? No, No, I get it.
I'm serious.
Speaker 3 (07:37):
You know, I'm not sure how why that's it's so
hard to find my number. But most of my buyers
they meet me through trade shows and uh events and
reach out to me through email.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
And but you had to make a decision. There's not
a phone number blasted. This might be this might be
something we all learned from did you find that phone
callers or look you lose that you couldn't concentrate that
was pulling you. You know, Mattress Mac gives out a
cell phone to anybody, but if he has a message
that says, don't email me, I don't have time to
read you help. You want to see me, you come
(08:13):
to the shop. You'll see me behind the counter. Because
he learned that was the most efficient use anyway. Sicilian
Village dot com will talk to him coming up. Jello
putting fops posen putting on a stake.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
The Michael Berry Show, Jello brand pudding pops made with
the goodness of real Jello pudding.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Like I'm never know.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
You gave life too Archidee.
Speaker 3 (08:42):
And to me.
Speaker 1 (08:45):
Hell reason to gold your librid.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
I love messages like this. A fellow named Jim Martel
in League City sent me a message that he was
friends with a fellow who was shooting his dream place
called Sicilian Village with with a marinate and olive recipe
that was passed down from the owner's grandfather. Him and
his wife have a production facility in League City, family
(09:13):
owned and operated. Started at hub. You know, for a
lot of folks that make a product, whether that's a
marinera sauce, or olive oil or whatever that may be
getting in hib is the moment you haven't made it
because it can be withdrawn, but it is the moment
(09:36):
that can make or break, certainly make your business if
it goes off well. There have been entire businesses that
have flourished because they got in the door. I'm gonna
tell you something. That's space on those shelves. I know
a lot about it. That is tough space to get
and it makes a difference. This Saturday will be the
(09:56):
thirtieth anniversary April Fool's Day. True story. I was talking
to the owner of Laboucherie yesterday and he said, yes,
I was a fool for starting this thing thirty years ago,
but no regrets and it is doing so well. Some
of you will remember we were talking about beef tallow
and Robert F. Kennedy was saying that that, you know,
(10:18):
we got away from beef tallow, corporate food production became
poison and the government was involved in the scheme, and
how much better beef tallow is for you than the
manufactured product they're doing today. So I called my buddy
who owns laboucherie, and I said, hey, we could really
(10:40):
make waves if you will sell beef tallow. Jason Oya, Sorry,
I didn't roll say. I didn't say his name, Jason Oya.
It's spelled like haul your h O L L I
E R, but it's oh ya. I said, if you
could sell beef tallow, I will promote it. I would
our people would be fired up to get bef tallow
and just rendered fat from what you're already processing, which
(11:04):
is meats all day long. He's on Kirkandall in Spring
La boucherie the butchery in French b o U c
h E R I E R I E yeah. And
he said, okay, let me check into it. He goes,
we have an FDA inspector here full time who monitors
because we are a food service production and because of
(11:26):
our volume. So he comes back and he says, well,
there's a little more to it than I thought, but
we're going to do it. I like the idea, and
I don't know if we'll make any money, but I
agree with you. It's it's a cool thing to do,
and we can show that it can be done. Maybe
some people start doing it at their home. Maybe other
businesses will match what we're doing. It'll be good. Well,
I've got Matt Bryce at Federal American Girl fired up
(11:48):
that he will take all the tallow you can deliver.
And he said, okay, let me get let me get
us able to sell the tallow first, and then because
now getting into the food service delivery business, that's another
FDA approval and that's going to take longer. But I
will commit to you. I will get on it. So
(12:08):
he called me two days ago and he said, all right,
we're ready to go. I can't ship it yet, I
can't deliver it yet, but for anybody who comes into Labucherie,
we will sell them tallow. And we are trying to
beef up production ramon to meet the demand that was
(12:29):
off the cuff. That's production ya right there. Now a
lot of people could have done that. They really couldn't.
And he said, but you know, Saturday is our big
open house, it's our thirty year anniversary. Everybody's coming out.
There's great deals, there's all this, there's all this, and
so any of your people who come out, they can
get the beef tallow. That's what Oh, let's steer it
(12:51):
back to David very well done. You were wrangling the
interview and I guess I should move over. That's a
cringe right there. That's a good cringe right there, David CORTERO, Yes, sir,
(13:13):
are you involved in this olive thing?
Speaker 4 (13:16):
Uh?
Speaker 2 (13:16):
There was a TV show about a Muslim guy Palestinian
who lives here. He's got rap friends. I think Netflix
has to show and they go to an olive vineyard.
Was that what we called olive olive grove? Yeah? Are
you involved with that?
Speaker 3 (13:35):
Ye? No, sir, I was not.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
Do you know those people?
Speaker 3 (13:40):
I do not.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
Is this interview not going like you expected?
Speaker 3 (13:46):
No, it's perfectly fine. It's like I expected it to be.
Speaker 2 (13:50):
Hey, I asked Jim. I was chewing Jim's aster in
the break. I said, he didn't call in on time,
and we didn't have a cell phone number. You're supposed
to have a cell phone number for him so we
can call he goes. He wouldn't give it to me.
I said, what this guy? This is sketchy. He's already
in the olive business. Sicilian, what is going on here?
I hope this turns out to be half as interesting
as I hope it is. Okay, So so tell what
(14:11):
were you doing. Let's go back. Where were you born?
Speaker 3 (14:17):
I was born in League City, Texas.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
Where'd you meet Stacy?
Speaker 3 (14:22):
I met Stacy in nineteen ninety five at an apartment
complex in clear Lake and she was managing the the
office and I was a resident. And when I met her,
I was actually going to be turning in my notice.
I was going to I was going to move out,
and when I met Stacy, I decided to make another
(14:44):
six months and ended up falling in love with her.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
And you got free rent forty years now married.
Speaker 3 (14:51):
Oh yeah, we got everything. I'm very, very fortunate to
have her in my life.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
And uh so, what's the history on the on the olives?
Speaker 3 (15:02):
Well, my grandfather shared this recipe with me in nineteen
ninety nine, and when we started to make the all
of us four friends and family and neighbors, they encouraged
me to, you know, try to make a business out
of it, because the flavor was not matched or found
(15:23):
in the in the grocery stores, and so we you know,
we just had to come up with a name, and
we figured that Sicilian Village would be a perfect name
for the for the business.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
I like the name. I'll be honestly a lot of
times I don't like names, but for something about this
when I first read it before you went to your website,
it just it feels good.
Speaker 3 (15:45):
Thank you. Yeah, it was a divine name. It was
given to me about one thirty in the morning, and
it was you know, it turned out to be the
perfect fit. One thing that was missing from the from
the grocery market. It was just you know, authentic traditional
Sicilian foods. I mean, there's there are Sicilian foods on
(16:06):
the market, but the marinated olive was missing. And the
way that we've we've prepared this, all of it, it
truly is a It's a memorable food, all right.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
Hold on, I want to I want you to tell
me how you make it and why it being marinated
is important, and all the different ways I can use
this Sicilian village dot com marinated all? Is this the Klamado?
Speaker 3 (16:31):
The Michael we have cold.
Speaker 5 (16:40):
Hand the ground.
Speaker 2 (16:41):
He's our man here how in one here and one
there is everywhere over here, some run over and there
in one here and one there everywhere all there how
(17:01):
in the ball where they eat in our town. He's
a saint. That's all your how to bay. He might
be just my foot three. But he's the league and
be beat. That's all your how to by. It's one here,
it's one there, fens everywhere, but come over here. I'll
(17:23):
run over there. It's one here, it's one there, It's everywhere.
That's all your how to bay. Houston Town is so cheery.
Took us to the World Series. That's allgier how to bay.
(17:48):
The Tiger team will be so blue when pulls us through.
That's all your how to It's one here, it's one there,
it's every Portio and ride. Stacey thirty years married, own
Sicilian village dot com. Don't try to reach him by phone.
It's not happening. I'm not convinced he has a phone.
He's probably calling from a payphone. He does not want
(18:10):
to be called. But their website is Sicilian Village dot com.
So David, I just went back kind of stereotypes and
limited knowledge. I'm very interested in Mediterranean lifestyle, Mediterranean food,
and I thought to myself, you know the olive thing.
(18:30):
I thought, I've always thought of olives as more Greek,
so I looked it up and it says the Klamado
olive is a large, dark purple olive with a smooth,
meaty texture, named after the city of Kalamada in the
southern Peloponnese in Greece. Often used as table olives, they're
usually preserved in wine, vinegar or olive oil. Typically, the
(18:53):
term Kalamada legally refers to a region of Greece where
these olives are grown. But the Sicilians have come in
and stolen the olives. I did not know that, Is
that true, David?
Speaker 3 (19:08):
I wouldn't say we stole the olives. And you know,
Sicily was a kind of the passing, a little stopping
point in the Mediterranean for for gosh, hundreds of years.
And so the olive reached the the Sicilian island. And
I chose the colamadea olive, just you know, for the
(19:30):
flavor of it. And once we'd marinated, it has a
very unique flavor with the spices that we add to it.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
Okay, if I couldn't see it, which would give me
the color and some clues like that, And and it
was cut so that I couldn't tell the size differential.
And you had five olives out there, and four of
one type, And would I be able to tell the Klamada?
And if I did, what would be the flavor profile
that would hit me. What would be the notes? Tramon
would say, Okay, so an olive, once it's harvard harvested,
(20:02):
it takes it has to be cured.
Speaker 3 (20:05):
And there's two ways to cure it olive. There's the
the unnatural chemical bay in a lie solution or a
natural salt salt solution, and it takes about nine months
to cure the olive naturally. And that's does that's where
we start. We start with a naturally cured olive. And
the notes that you would find in a Colonnado would
be A it's kind of a fruity buttery texture and
(20:31):
it's just a it's just a very pleasant flavor. I
guess the best way to put it, especially when it's
naturally cured.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
So I looked it up. I wasn't sure what an
olive actually was. I mean, you know, from a from
a biology perspective, and it says the olive from the
term oly A europea, meaning European olive, is a species
of small tree or shrub in the family Olah found
traditionally in the terranean basin, with file wild subspecies found
(21:03):
further a field in Africa and Western Asia, when in
shrub form, it is known as olier europea montra dwarf
olive or a little olive. So is this I don't
under I'm trying to. I'm looking at pictures of it
in its natural form? Is this like a berry at
the end of the shrub? What actually is an olive?
(21:27):
An olive is a fruit.
Speaker 3 (21:30):
It's a considered a fruit, and it, you know, has
the seed inside. And an olive is actually a superfood
and has omega three, omega six, lots of minerals and
invitamins and and it's a it's like a natural multi vitamin.
Speaker 2 (21:48):
All right, So your grandfather gives you this recipe and
you start with it and give me the the one
minute version of Honey, I'm thinking, I'm I'm going to
produce this and sell it to everybody. How does that happen?
Where's the funding come from? How did you know? What kitchen?
Did you use? What taught me through that? In one minute?
Speaker 3 (22:10):
Okay?
Speaker 2 (22:11):
Music? Okay, I'll sold you have one minute with the
music is very important? Here, hold on, are you ready?
Here we go?
Speaker 3 (22:18):
Okay, dream.
Speaker 2 (22:23):
Oh wow, this is gonna be a big undertaking. That's
probably why I won't give us phone on my go ahead, okay.
Speaker 3 (22:31):
So my wife and I we were on daycation actually
in Saint John's in Britain, the Virgin Islands, and Stacey
and I decided to just go ahead and make a
run for the for the business and start it. I
had to write a business plan and try to find
(22:52):
an investor and I was able to buy him on
in twenty fourteen, built out a kitchen in League City
to produce the olives, and bought some machines. We scheduled
sometime at a trade show in New York City and
met the global food buyer at HIV there asked them
to give me a shot at the selling dollives at
(23:12):
the stores. They opened up about one hundred and seventy
locations to me at the very beginning, and the rest
is history. We hit the market and it has completely
changed our lives. We've had orders every week.
Speaker 2 (23:29):
And David, hold on, hold on, So you did that
in fifty seven seconds? That isn't I live in thirty
and sixty and eight minute packets of time, so the
guys last, I can talk for seven minutes and fifty
eight seconds or so without ever looking at a clock.
Because it's so built into mine. For you to drill
(23:50):
that in fifty seven seconds with no, that's impressive. Why
did they give you a shot? I mean you got
to figure thatverybody else had this idea. There are plenty
of other olives. What about I mean, obviously he would
have tasted your olives, he would have liked it. Did
he see a market with the Mediterranean diet for more olives?
(24:11):
What was the thinking there?
Speaker 3 (24:14):
You know, we spent about almost an hour in just
in an improv meeting with the global food buyer. And
I think it was a combination of the flavor of
the product, the name of the product, the passion that
my family and I had, my wife and my son
(24:35):
and my daughter. We were all at the show together
and it was the very beginning of this endeavor. And
I believe that he found what he needed to find
in us and gave us a shot.
Speaker 2 (24:55):
It's sin. I don't eat olives, I don't care for all.
My wife loves olives, gone loves all us. But I'm
fascinated by the business of this and something so you
this is thousands of years old, Michael very show, enjoy it.
Speaker 5 (25:09):
You love all this olix, Olix olives, all this olips olix,
all this, all this, all this, I know all this,
you love all this breathe of all this olix alix,
all this honest, honest fulips and lives, all this ODIs
(25:34):
all this fullives on this, all this, honest, all.
Speaker 2 (25:39):
This that song a lot of people don't realize was
actually about olives. David Cortero is our guest. Where do
you get these olives?
Speaker 4 (25:55):
What?
Speaker 3 (25:56):
We we ship them in from Greece? Uh, from just
south of bathrooms.
Speaker 2 (26:03):
So you go to the you have a distributor here?
Do you go to the port and pick up a
container of them? How do you receive them? Uh?
Speaker 3 (26:10):
Well, they come in through through on the ocean, and
we have a forty foot container that shows up at
our door every three weeks.
Speaker 2 (26:21):
A forty foot container shows up at your door. Yes, sir,
I am mildly obsessed with logistics. Who do you use?
Do you? So you have you have a freight company
that receives them at the dock at the port. Uh,
signs all the documentation and then brings them to your
(26:42):
literally to your residence or to your kitchen or that's
not the same, to my kitchen.
Speaker 3 (26:46):
Yeah, to my kitchen.
Speaker 2 (26:47):
Okay, and then they drop that and pick up the
one that was there before.
Speaker 3 (26:53):
Uh, once we unloaded, they bring it back to the
to the port. It's just a it's a one day
and around and they're.
Speaker 2 (27:00):
Doing this for lots of people. Oh, yes, I find
that way. Who is it like ex cargo? What I
recognize is a brand name I would recognize.
Speaker 3 (27:09):
Uh. Do you have you heard of Tanager Logistics?
Speaker 2 (27:12):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (27:13):
Yeah, that's what we used.
Speaker 2 (27:15):
So when you started all this, you had to find
a logistics company that could receive your product and bring
it to your kitchen and drop it reliably. Yes, did
you go on a buying trip to Greece? Did you
go tour through Greece and and go to all the
is it orchards? Are these orchards?
Speaker 3 (27:31):
Yes? They are orchards. I've met really all of my
suppliers through trade shows here Stateside and develop my relationships
that way. And I've got, you know, two to three
different suppliers for each item that I need, just to
keep things fair.
Speaker 2 (27:52):
And are you making this?
Speaker 3 (27:57):
No?
Speaker 4 (27:58):
No?
Speaker 3 (27:58):
What we do we mix the marriage aid that is
a it's a blend of extra virgin olive oil, red
wine vinegar, garlic, pepper, and oregano. And then we then
we marinate that the olives in that blend and repackage
them in a flexible package.
Speaker 2 (28:17):
And when you marinate on is it is it like
at a water level or is it? Is it some
kind of a paste that's mixed. How does that happen?
Speaker 3 (28:26):
Yeah, it's a liquid that we actually infuse into the
fruit of the olive.
Speaker 2 (28:33):
And and you don't have to tear the skin on
it or score it or whatever. It'll it'll absorb it.
Speaker 3 (28:39):
That's correct. And the seed has been removed, so so
the flesh is actually exposed through the through the pit
where the pit was.
Speaker 2 (28:50):
Is the seed removed when it arrives to you or
do you have to do that?
Speaker 3 (28:53):
It's already pitted when we receive them.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
What do they do with the with the seeds?
Speaker 3 (28:59):
You know, I don't know. I'm sure there's some kind
of market for pits somewhere.
Speaker 2 (29:04):
And when people buy these off the shelf at a
GiB what are they using these olives for? Primarily Martini's.
Speaker 3 (29:11):
No, it's not a drinking of this is a this
is a gourmet food item. People. People can eat these with,
you know, with some bread or a glass of wine
or some cheese on any kind of security board. A
lot of bus people just eat them alone by themselves.
(29:31):
It's an excellent, excellent snack for the brain. And it
just gives you. It gives you a little boost.
Speaker 2 (29:39):
It says you do colamado olives, green and black olives
and green olives. If you were to add a non
olive product, what would that be?
Speaker 3 (29:50):
Extra version olive oil?
Speaker 2 (29:52):
Really?
Speaker 3 (29:54):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (29:54):
And do you would? Do you make your own? Do
you press it here?
Speaker 4 (29:58):
No?
Speaker 3 (29:59):
I have a I have a supplier in Sicily that
would be supplying us without olive oil?
Speaker 2 (30:06):
Is that? And it is a item? Yes, it is.
Speaker 3 (30:09):
Actually, we will be bringing in some excellent quality olive oil.
This is first cold press unfiltered as an aroma that
you can you can tell it's different. It's very special.
Speaker 2 (30:23):
So a few years ago there was a massive scandal
because the olive oil is so expensive, and I think
it was the extra version I can't remember, but they
it was basically a bunk product that they were selling
a lot of and it wasn't pure. And how did
that happen? How did so many people get duped?
Speaker 4 (30:43):
I think we've been due for longer than we really
realized it. But the you know, to to make profits,
producers of all of extra virgin all bail would just
blend it with lesser quality, lesser quality of oils and
know call it extra.
Speaker 3 (31:01):
Virgin olive oil.
Speaker 2 (31:02):
Was there no quality control of them saying okay, now, no, no,
this I mean I got it that there are shysters
that want to make money with you know, basically diluting
more product that happens in every industry, but that people
didn't notice, people didn't comment.
Speaker 3 (31:15):
You know, I think it's obviously caught up with them
because the the flavor of the look of doll of oil,
the the way it tastes it, you know, once it's blended,
it's it's just not the same. And you know, I'm
glad to see that the producer that I found is
you know, they're doing it the right way.
Speaker 2 (31:37):
How often do you go over to Sicily or Greece,
however do you need to go and how often do
you actually go?
Speaker 3 (31:42):
Well, I have to get over there yearly for foreign verification,
food supply verifications and regulation purposes. But yeah, so it's
it's a yearly travel.
Speaker 2 (31:53):
Are those regulations with the Italian government or with the
American America.
Speaker 3 (32:00):
It's a global it's a global food safety project.
Speaker 2 (32:06):
Has that been for you? Has complying with those relations
going to hassle.
Speaker 3 (32:12):
It has not, not at all. I'm very happy to
be a part of food safety and good quality.
Speaker 2 (32:20):
Yeah, I mean there have to be some standards. I
do hear people that, you know. I think some people
just don't want to be bothered. They don't think feel
like they should. And some people have anxiety, you know,
like I'm when I have to take a test, I
might fail, when in fact that was overblown. But you know,
I think in some cases we probably have restrictions that
that that we don't need, uh in any case. Sicilian
(32:42):
Village dot Com David Cortero, good good luck to you, sir.
It's it's a great story and hopefully inspires someone else
to chase that dream. It's not promised success. It's not promised,
but at least you have no regrets. You tried.
Speaker 3 (32:55):
That's right. Well, thank you for inviting me and giving
me this chance to tell my story.
Speaker 2 (33:03):
Got it? Sicilian Village. How many days a month ramone?
Do you think you eat? At least one olive unrelated
to a martini fifteen. You eat olives every other day
on average in what form? You just pop them? Oh? Wow,
(33:24):
you know what I like? It doesn't get its du
is dates. I have a friend named Chris Pagala. He
and Jim McGrath a have a PR and strategic messaging
for him. Chris Pogala's wife is Venezuela, and if I
remember correct, maybe Colombian and twenty years ago or so,
she made a dish. We were all having dinner. She
made a dish that had a sweet cheese and it
(33:45):
almost like a cream cheese, and she put it inside
a date. My wife found that recipe and
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