Kibbutz to Boulder

BOULDER — Israeli products in Colorado are few and far between, but a group of five Boulder-area friends intends to change that.

Together, they formed Halavi Import Co. and began importing products from Israel in January.

The idea to start Halavi came to Barbara Trager, marketing director, during a three-week vacation to visit family and friends in Israel in October 2002.

“I was touched by the situation there,” she says. “Their best industry is tourism, and it was really suffering.”

When she returned to the states, Trager brainstormed about ways she could help bring normalcy back to Israel. After conducting research and finding that no Israeli olive oil was sold locally, she saw “good possibilities” for that product’s distribution.

Trager combined forces with friends Ron Kahn, director of operations; Linda Richtel, business development; Sandy Friedman, chief financial officer; and Dr. Steve Friedman, research and development, to pursue the possibilities. The group combined approximately $10,000 of personal finances to launch the company.

To select an olive oil to import, Richtel, who lives in Israel four months each year while her husband, Murray, teaches law school, visited several different kibbutzes. She later identified the Olive Grove-brand olive oil developed on Kibbutz Beit-Nir, located outside of Jerusalem, as a top choice. She brought samples back to the group, and they agreed.

Halavi initially ordered 1,000 bottles each of the 500-milliliter and 250-milliliter sizes. The larger bottle retails for $12; the smaller bottle runs $8. After three months, the group has sold 600 bottles.

“We started small because we didn’t know what the response would be,” Kahn says.

Halavi introduced the olive oil last year during the Boulder Jewish Festival where the group distributed 800 sample packets. From there, it has been a grassroots effort to get the product on to shelves and into customers’ hands.

At first, the group targeted the Jewish community because Olive Grove olive oil is kosher, but Kahn says they now are looking to expand beyond that market. The olive oil can be found at food specialty stores such as Boulder Co-Op Market and Herb’s Meats & Specialty Foods, select restaurants such as Nabil’s and local synagogue gift shops.

“(Olive Grove is) the best. It’s very tasty. There are no chemicals. It’s really natural. When I give it to customers they always ask questions about where it comes from,” Nabil Karkamaz, owner of Nabil’s, says. The restaurant uses the olive oil in the food as well as sells it.

Meanwhile, at the Boulder Co-Op Market, the consumer reception has been a little slower.

“It hasn’t been selling that quickly. It comes in a clear bottle, and our olive oil connoisseurs know that light can affect rancidity. A lot of the olive oil comes in a dark bottle,” says Mike Davies, grocery worker, Boulder Co-Op Market. “But I think people are buying it because it is so funky looking. There is nothing like it on the shelves.”

To date, Halavi has shipped the olive oil to two locations outside Colorado. Trager sent two cases of Olive Grove to her cousin, Diane Warren, who owns Katzinger’s, a deli in Columbus, Ohio. She also contacted a former synagogue she attended in Los Angeles that has agreed to sell the product.

In addition to olive oil, Halavi recently began selling honey from Kibbutz Ein-Harod. A 9-ounce jar sells for $6.50. So far, the company has sold 200 jars.

“We’re trying to sell as many Israeli products as we can,” Kahn says. Beyond olive oil and honey, he says Halavi is looking to add Israeli-made skin-care products, shampoo and soaps to its offerings within the next six months. When Halavi has a more extensive line, Kahn says the group will seek a distributor to increase circulation and sales.

“What we want is peace and prosperity in Israel,” Trager says. “This is our small way of trying to make a difference there.”

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