Cold Press: Issue 1

March 6, 2024

Welcome to the first issue of our new monthly newsletter, Cold Press! We hope you will enjoy learning more about California Coast Naturals, olives, olive oils, how to enjoy them, and the people who bring our products to you. And we hope you will let us know how you like our olives and olive oils and share your recipes and stories with us.

Meet our family

California Coast Naturals is a family business. Its owners—Craig, Cindy, and Chad Makela—represent 10 generations and more than 165 years of our family’s involvement in olive growing and processing.

Today, the family consists of those we are related to and those we choose, so there are many to introduce. Craig and Cindy’s son Chad is the Chief Operating Officer both in the office and out in the fields, and Craig’s brother Mark can be found selling olives and oils at 4 area farmers markets. The Sunday farmers market, right here in Goleta, is a real family affair, with Craig, Cindy, their granddaughters, and friends joining in the fun. Rita, who fields the phones and paperwork in the office, can sometimes be found at the market as well. Rounding out the farm family are Tino and Julita, who work their magic in the warehouse, preparing all of our products for shipping and sales. And not to be forgotten are Remington (Remi) and Kona, our 4-legged greeters and companions! In the coming months, we will tell you more about each of us, what we do at the farm, and how we got to this special place.

Our history

Craig’s great-great grandfather, John Emile Goux, recognized the Mediterranean-like climate of our south-facing slopes, and planted the first commercial olive orchard in Santa Barbara in 1851; and many of those first trees are still growing downtown, including two in front of the Presidio!

California Coast Naturals is the third olive company that the Makelas have established since the early 1980s, and nearly 4,000 trees are currently located on over 100 acres of our family’s historic farm, 600 feet above sea level, between El Capitan and Refugio State Beaches. When we started producing olives and olive oils as the Santa Barbara Olive Company near Solvang in 1983, we led the “renaissance” of olives and extra-virgin olive oils in the 1990s. In fact, for 27 years, we owned the largest specialty olive company in the United States and were featured in the Neiman-Marcus Christmas catalog.

Our olives are hand-harvested, sun dried, and cured in the traditional Old-World style, with just salt and water, and our stuffed olives are all stuffed by hand. No chemicals are used, and the extra virgin olive oil is cold pressed on site the day it is harvested. California Coast Naturals grows eight different types of olives, including Kalamatas—whole, pitted, and stuffed—as well as nine different flavors of pure, unpasteurized, unblended, and unfiltered olive oils, vinegars, and tapenades; and all our products are certified organically grown and produced in Santa Barbara County, as they have been for more than 40 years. None of our olives or olive oils are imported.

We are also exploring therapeutic uses of olive leaf extract and invite you to check out our website: www.oleavicin.com

About olives and olive oil

Olives, Olea europaea, are drupes or stone fruit, and, as such, are related to mangoes, cherries, and peaches. They grow on small trees, which were traditionally found in the Mediterranean Basin, and have been enjoyed for thousands of years. Today, the trees are grown throughout the Mediterranean region as well as in Australia, New Zealand, Asia, North and South America, and South Africa. Because of their long history, there are over 500 different kinds of olives grown today.

All olives start out green and become darker as they ripen, so one tree may have both green and black olives on its branches. Olives are also inedible right off the tree and need to be cured to be palatable.

Originally used for lamp oil, olives and olive trees became popular in ancient times for their religious use, cosmetics, sanctification, cooking, and their health benefits. Although about 80% of all olives are used to produce olive oil, olives are also used in salads, sandwiches, spreads, and snacks. One of the key elements in the healthy Mediterranean diet, olives are a good source of vitamin E and other powerful antioxidants, and they have strong anti-inflammatory properties. Olives are also high in Omega 3 and 6 monosaturated oils, low in carbs, and may help decrease cholesterol, protect the heart, and reduce the risk of osteoporosis and cancer.

Mission Olives

Franciscan friars originally introduced and planted olive trees around the California missions they founded, When the missions were secularized, the descendants of those trees were planted by farmers like John Goux throughout southern California.

Mission olives are cold-hardy and are the most popular for cold-pressed olive oil in California because they have a 22% oil content. They are picked green for table use in the fall and are larger than others, can be stuffed, and have a rich, meaty texture and mild flavor. Also known as California black olives, their skin is shiny, partly the result of saltwater brining. This versatility has helped make Mission olives the most popular olives in the United States.

Recipe of the Month: Cindy’s California Coast (Cal Coast) Caprese Salad

Imagine this with avocado slices and olives! Mmmmm, Good!

1 ripe Hass avocado, sliced 1/8 + 1/3 cup Cal Coast extra virgin olive oil

4 ripe heirloom tomatoes, sliced 2/3 cup Cal Coast balsamic vinegar

1 8 oz jar of Cal Coast Sun-Dried Black Olives 1 tsp Cal Coast garlic oil

1 bunch of fresh basil 1 tsp honey

Buffalo mozzarella, sliced Salt and pepper to taste

Line serving platter with shredded basil, then top with a layer of tomatoes, followed by a layer of sliced mozzarella and then sliced avocado.
Squeeze the pits from the olives and put the olives in a food processor with 1/8 cup of olive oil and blend to create a tapenade. Add dollops of tapenade on top of the layered ingredients.
For a salad dressing, blend 1/3 cup olive oil with 2/3 cup of balsamic, 1 tsp of honey, 1 tsp garlic olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.

Customer of the Month

We are looking for customer feedback about our products!

Send us your comments about California Coast Naturals olives and olive oils. If we select your comments and post them in our next newsletter, you will receive a 375ml olive oil of your choice, a jar of black olives, and a jar of green olives as our gift. Choose between lavender, rosemary, garlic, orange, lemon, chili, black pepper, oregano, and basil-infused oils and extra-virgin olive oil.

Just be sure to include your name and street address so we can ship your gifts.