Casa de Case was formed in
October of 2000 to make it easier with the red tape of importing the olive oil we had been
getting for ourselves and friends for the previous four years. This was a
once-a-year event when we flew in the just-crushed new oil – the hypnotic
olio nuovo – in quantities to last us for the year. Over the years, the
word spread and more and more people got in on the act. Eventually we
launched this web site to make it easier for folks to order their oil.
Then in the
Spring of 2002 after test marketing the oil with a few well-know chefs, I
decided to jettison my 35-year career in high tech and launch Casa de Case
as a full-time importer and distributor of distinctive olive oils.
Our original plan was for Kris to keep
her banking day job for about two years while I got Casa de Case up and
going. After only six months, things were moving fast and furious and
Kris said goodby to banking, and we became a team.
Our new careers grew from our passion for Italy, Italian
culture and especially Italian food. It gives us a great sense of
satisfaction to be working full-time on something so close to our hearts. It
gives us even more satisfaction to be bringing superior products to
the best restaurants and specialty stores.
We started with the olive oil from
Frantoio Olivestri in Petrignano del Lago, Umbria. We are truly blessed to have met
Guido Vestri and his family. They are amongst the best olive oil producers
in the world and pursue their work with passion for quality. It is our
great fortune to be bringing their superb oil to this country.
After marketing Olivestri oil for a
little over a year, we started scouring the Italian countryside looking for other unique
and superb olive oils that might fill different tastes and needs. This
lead us to sun-drenched Puglia in the Italian heel and the stunning oils
from Francesco De Padova. De Padova has 1,000 acres of 100%
biologico (organically) farmed olives, and produces some of the finest
oil in Italy. Along the way, we discovered other amazing and
delicious products to offer to our customers.
Some of the San Francisco Bay Area’s
very best
restaurants are using our oils, and it is offered by the most
discriminating specialty stores. These
are very fastidious and demanding chefs
and purveyors who have all universally said: “These are great oils!”
Because we are importing directly from the
factory and selling with little overhead, our products are presented at a fraction of
the price one expects for such quality.
As our reputation grew, we were invited
to San Francisco's City College prestigious Culinary Arts Department to
teach a seminar to studying chefs on olive oil. We are also teaching
this
Olive Oil Seminar for the Continuing
Education Department open to all.
Howard and Kris Case
