Lila Dobbs Celebrates Diversity through Olive Oil

Lila Dobbs

Lila Dobbs was always interested in specialty olive oil. A lover and annual purchaser of Ursini Olio Fresco Novello, they officially started in the olive oil business in 2009 as a grocery buyer for Brooklyn Kitchen, a cooking school in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and a former specialty food shop. Since then, Dobbs has worked as a purchaser of specialty food for over a decade at retailers and restaurants and served as a judge at The Cheesemonger Invitational.

As a recent judge at the USI Olive Oil Competition, Dobbs says the experience was a “real treat and a learning curve” evaluating many different oil samples and provided a great opportunity to network with other retailers and buyers. “This was my first time judging an oil competition,” says Dobbs. “And I would happily do it again.”

Today, Dobbs is the general manager and buyer at Foster Sundry, a local butcher shop, and cheese counter in Brooklyn that houses a diverse olive oil selection.

Diversity is Key

Foster Sundry interior

Foster Sundry’s olive oil offerings are vast and include a “little of everything along the price, flavor, and location spectrum” explains Dobbs. There are both domestic and imported bottles and classic and harder-to-find options, allowing consumers to compare and contrast their options as they might when choosing a bottle of wine. “It can be really illuminating and educational to taste American and European oils side by side.”

Canaan Palestine and Seka Hills olive oils

Dobbs strives to showcase a diverse selection of olive oils to introduce shoppers to lesser-known brands deserving the limelight.“‘Old world’ oils from Italy and Spain dominate the market so much,” Dobbs says. “I want to make sure other voices are heard too.” Some examples of these particular oils include those from the company Canaan Palestine, based in Burqin, Palestine along with Seka Hills in Brooks, California which is owned and operated by the indigenous Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation. Read more about Seka Hills.

Finding the Right Producers

Al Frantoio di Aldo Armato olive oils

Over the years, Dobbs has developed strong connections with many olive oil producers, including family-owned Italian operation, Al Frantoio di Aldo Armato. “They’ve been making oil since the 1980s and we regularly stock the house with unfiltered oil made from 100% Taggiasca olives,” says Dobbs. “It’s well balanced, accessible, a little rustic, and great for just about everything.”

Fat Gold tins

California’s Fat Gold has also been one the shop has carried since it opened back in 2015. “It’s a woman-owned company making striking tins of fairly robust oil made from Frantoio olives in the San Joaquin Valley,” says Dobbs. “They publish a ‘field report’ on their website every few months so you can follow along with how that year’s harvest is coming compared to how other olive harvests are doing globally.” Read more about Fat Gold Standard Olive Oil .

Today’s Harvest and Beyond

Being involved with olive oil means talking to producers about the current harvest and outlook for the future. Harvests vary depending on each region and how they may be affected by climate change. In 2024, some countries saw improved rainfall, but others experienced high levels of heat and drought, which can all impact the harvest differently. Dobbs says in the future, we’ll likely start seeing “a shift in overall profiles from different producers as they seek out more drought-resistant olive varieties.”

Climate change may also have some producers looking to plant elsewhere. The droughts and rising temperatures paired with earlier springs can all impact olive yields and quality, and therefore, the olive oil produced.

However, climate change is not the only issue affecting the olive oil industry. Dobbs says “inflation, labor shortages, and strikes” also challenge even the largest corporate olive oil producers. “Right now, it’s a perfect storm,” says Dobbs. “With the same issues affecting farmers in every agricultural category.”