Meet Our Sponsors: Jovial olive oil

We have treasured our time in Italy these past few years, working with Jovial Foods.  Jovial has been a sponsor of this site for years. As you might know, we only work with companies we truly love as sponsors of this site. Jovial makes tremendous food, including the best gluten-free pasta we have ever tasted.

But today, we’d like to tell you about Jovial olive oil.

As you might know, it’s sometimes tough to buy an authentic olive oil. Most Americans didn’t eat olive oil in the 1960s. Now, most of us know that it’s an essential food, full of good nutrients. From 1982 to 2007, American consumption of olive oil increased tenfold. Where did all this extra-virgin olive oil come from?

Well, much of what is sold as authentic olive oil is actually fake, filled out with cheaper vegetable oils and oils not made from olives grown in the places the companies claim they are sold. (Here’s a good piece about the process.) What do you do? How do you choose a great olive oil?

We suggest you buy some Jovial olive oil.

Having worked with Jovial Foods for years, we can tell you that they take enormous care in establishing relationships with farmers who grow food well. This olive oil is pressed from heirloom olives that have been grown since Roman times, not the typical olives made into mass-produced olive oil. Jovial is helping to keep these olive varieties — Favarol, Grignano, and Nostrano — from falling into extinction by selling this olive oil.

And it is, quite easily, the most delicious olive oil we have ever tasted.

I love that Jenny Rosenstrach wrote a piece recently suggesting that people bring bottles of good olive oil as hostess gifts, instead of bottles of wine. Great idea, Jenny! Bring some Jovial next time.

Jovial would like to give away three 1-liter bottles of their olive oil, plus a gluten-free gift basket to one reader of Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef. These will ship in January of 2014. (This is open to US readers only.) Leave a comment here about olive oil to be eligible for the giveaway. We’ll choose the winner at random on Friday, December 27th. 

In addition, Jovial has announced that the new harvest of their olive oil is on sale for only $60, instead of $74.99. This includes free shipping. This offer is only good until December 31st, so order soon. 

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