U.P. entrepreneur starts olive oil business

If shopping–and eating–local is important to you, you probably already know you can get U.P.-made honey, wine, beer, jam, hot sauce, frozen foods and many others, and that you can buy milk, meat, veggies, herbs, and eggs raised locally.

What about your olive oil? Probably from Italy, Greece or another country, right? Well, there’s actually one that’s made and distributed from right here in the U.P. The small company that does so is called Hiawatha Gold, part of Dream America, a local small business owned by Kelli Konrad of Wetmore.

If you’re guessing the olives aren’t grown in the U.P, you’re right. That’s not really a specialty in our climate. But the oil is hand-pressed, bottled and distributed here. Konrad was inspired by the fact that most olive oils used by U.S. cooks aren’t made in the U.S. The olives she uses are American-grown.

“Our label, Hiawatha Gold, is derived from the location of our company, in the Hiawatha National Forest of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan,” says Konrad.

Hiawatha Gold’s distribution plans are being supported by the Small Business & Technology Development Center, and with the center’s help, the small company has gotten Hiawatha Gold olive oil on shelves in many stores in the central U.P., with plans to reach across the region.

Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Kelli Konrad, Hiawatha Gold