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<pre>Hi folks,

I'm Butch Owen, retired US Army and now own a company in Turkey. I have
17+ years here (my second home). My company, BSI exports handcrafted
and natural products to the USA and Canada; copper, meerschaum, herbal
teas and soaps, essential oils and vegetable oils. Lots of olive oil;
extra-virgin - as it's used as a carrier oil by aromatherapists for the
dilution of the more concentrated, distilled essential oils.

Though BSI exports only in bulk, I also have just started a company in
Maryland to deal retail, Appalachian Valley Natural Products. We have
distributors in the USA, Canada, Puerto Rico and the UK. Our trademark
brand is "Anatolian Treasures."

As a child, I'd chose olives and olive oil over candy any day - and that
has not changed at all. We have a great variety of prepared olives here
in Turkey....and some fine oils.

For our friend Stewart, from South Africa, I'd recommend that when you
start production - you consider hiring a Turkish male worker or two - or
a peasant family that has lots of experience in the business. Give them
a small house and a fair wage and they'll teach you lots of things you
can not find in the books....good luck, Stewart.

Glad to be here and I look forward to the discussions and learning from
you people - who are probably the experts in this business. I have an
amateur website that is still under construction http://www.bsi-hq.com

Regards, Butch
********************************
> My name is Stewart Sanders. I am a professional agronomist who has recently
> purchased a wine farm in Tulbagh near Cape Town in South Africa. I am
> planning to plant a large portion of my farm to olives over the next couple
> of years and am at the moment seeking as much info as I can get on olive
> production systems and sourcing and suitability of different varieties to
> our local conditions.
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<pre>Thanks for the introduction. Good job Butch on your good products and nice
website. I wish you the best in your new USA venture. To promote your
website, I recommend that you visit http://www.addme.com/ &
http://www.submitit.com/

Take care and good luck.

Jamal Sadoun
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<pre>I was advised by Onelist to send you an introductory message about myself, my
company and my association with olive oil.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of you and your loved ones the
best for the New Year!

I am an importer, wholesaler and on-line retailer of certified organic, single
estate, extra-virgin oliive oil from Greece and Italy. I was born in Greece,
where I grew up working at my family's olive grove and learning the disciplines
of international commerce at my family's trading company. My passion for cooking
was inspired by the experiences I had at my Great Aunt's Ypatia restaurant. I am
not going to bore you with more details about myself since it is very easy for
you to learn more by visiting our web site at www.papashaven.com

I am excited that an internet community such as yours exists. In the years that
I have lived in the United States I have seen many favorable changes in public
opinion and consumption trends towards our beloved product. I feel that the
industry is undergoing some controversial changes and I am hopeful that today's
market reality is just another stepping stone towards the healthy olive oil
industry of tomorrow.

I am looking forward to hearing from you and participating in your discussions.

Sincerely,
Constantine Alexander
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<pre>Thanks Constantine for your thoughtful introduction about yourself and your
business. Welcome to the list and I hope you will enjoy the informative
discussions taking place in this group.

Happy New Year to you too and hope to hear from you again soon.

Best regards
Jamal Sadoun
OliveOil List Manager


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