Delicious Discoveries: Clovis family launches new olive oil

One of the central San Joaquin Valley’s pioneering farm families has launched its own brand of extra virgin olive oil. The Harlan family of Clovis introduced Scout Olive Oil earlier this year.

Scout is made with two of the region’s premier oil-producing olives, arbequina and arbosana. The blend produces a mild, buttery taste with a hint of fresh green olive flavor.

Katrina Van Conant, who co-founded the company with her grandfather Floyd Harlan, says the olive oil has been well received by customers and retailers. Van Conant’s father, Shawn Stevenson, is the orchard operations manager.

“It is a olive oil that can pair with so many different things,” Van Conant says. “It has a very fresh taste that people appreciate when using it in their cooking and baking.”

Van Conant uses it to fry eggs, to drizzle on a sandwich, mixed in with pasta or as a salad dressing. She says consumers can treat her olive oil as an everyday product, not just something for special uses.

“This is not something we want people to use sparingly,” she says. “We want people to enjoy it every day.”

Scout is certified as extra virgin by the California Olive Oil Council in Berkeley. It retails for $15 for an 8.5-ounce bottle and $21 for a 16.9-ounce bottle.

Scout can be purchased in the Fresno area at several locations, including: Peeve’s Public House & Local Market, 1243 Fulton Mall, Fresno; Piemonte’s Italian Delicatessen, 616 E. Olive, Fresno; Sam’s Italian Deli & Market, 2415 N. First St., Fresno; and The Meat Market, 1990 N. Fowler, Clovis.

This story was originally published July 14, 2015 at 9:00 AM with the headline "Delicious Discoveries: Clovis family launches new olive oil."