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First, Mary Beth had to know if she could even find oil to import. She says, “France produces less than 2% of the world’s olive oil and very little finds its way out of the country. And, all my oils are made from estate grown, individually picked olives. They are hand made in very small quantities, they are like the grower’s children. I had no idea if they would even have oil to sell, much less sell it to me.”
With trepidation, she set out by herself in December 2007 to drive through the cold, wintry French countryside, down back roads and up dirt roads, not sure whether the French would even give her the time of day. But, “people there were wonderful, one person would tell me about another and introduce me. It was like the old days of my job.” 2500 kilometers of driving later, she returned home triumphant.
But, that turned out to be the easy part. How would she get the oil to the States?
What hoops would she have to jump through to become a licensed importer with the FDA, customs and other regulatory bodies? What certifications did she need in order to be a credible olive oil expert?
Nothing like a few puzzles to solve to keep your mind limber. Mary Beth jokes that if it’s true one can prevent Alzheimer’s by learning new things, her constant learning curve keeps her immune.
Intimidating as it was at times, however, she ultimately solved the puzzles. In common with most other women I have talked to who have started businesses, now Mary Beth can say, “It was SO empowering. To think, ‘I can do that, I can figure that out’...really, once you’re in it, there is no way through but to keep going.”
A few critical foundation pieces remained. Coming up with just the right name was paramount. She’d thought long and hard, but the name she liked most, Picholine, the name of a lovely green table olive grown only in France and Morocco, was too hard to pronounce and it was already taken by a well known restaurant in New York City. But, in a fit of serendipity, the universe led her to Julia Child’s autobiography.
She learned that Julia’s farm in France was called La Pitchoune, Pitche (pronounced ‘peesh’) for short. Ah, she was getting close! And, when Mary Beth realized Julia Childs had made a complete change of career at age 50, from being a diplomat to culinary trailblazing with a TV show introducing Americans to French cooking, Voila!, she knew what it had to be. Piche (pronounced ‘peesh’) was it!
With the name in place, she designed and developed a website that was more than simply a place to buy her olive oils. It’s a sensory experience that will ultimately include French linens and ceramics as a way to re-create a kind of ‘wardrobe’ for the table, much like the way a French woman uses scarves and accessories to create her own distinctive style.
I asked Mary Beth what has surprised her most about her journey so far. Thinking for a moment, she said, “how long it’s taken”. She laughed and added, “and how fun it’s been. I have a whole other life now, I used to travel nine days out of ten. But, I don’t have to prove myself like that anymore. My life now isn’t grand in the way my former life was. It’s small, it’s personal, but it is far more satisfying to me.”
The French have a saying for that, “Elle travaille de la coeur.” Yes, Mary Beth is working from her heart.
There was a time when Mary Beth Murphy poured her heart into sales for the financial services business. But since her first olive oil tasting in France in 2002, she is now pouring olive oil instead. And a lot of it. Inspired to share her experience with consumers, Mary Beth founded Piche, L.L.C., in Austin, Texas, in 2006. A web-based business, Piche offers delicious, handpicked premium olive oils, and hand crafted linens and ceramics. In addition to gaining an education in the qualities of fine olive oils and refining her tasting ability, Mary Beth has participated in olive oil evaluation education at the University of California, Davis, and is a member of the California Olive Oil Association. Her website is www.thepichetable.com.
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Written by weihanteng - Wednesday, December 14 2011 |
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