City Olive Oil Company Spreads Across Nation
By Robin Vinci at February 28, 2024 | 9:30 am | Print
Everyone has tasted olive oil. But until you taste the many varieties from Ariston Specialties, you never really tried olive oil, according to Anastasios (Tom) Doukas.
“Until you try it, you don’t even understand what I am talking about,” said Doukas.
After owning Corner Pizza on Broad St. for many years, Doukas decided to bring his family business to America.
He first thought about bringing olive oil to the United States in the 1970s.
“It was too early and no one was aware of olive oils,” said Doukas. “Now everyone thinks about it. Once we started we never looked back.”
In the spring of 1997 Doukas first brought to Connecticut cold press extra virgin olive oil produced by his family in the Kalamata region of Greece. Doukas had been part of the olive oil business, working weekends while in school, which was started by his father, Peter, all his life.
He and his wife Denise opened a small office in the CW Resources Building in 2004 and travelled to see stores across the country in hopes they would carry the line.
He remembers a pasta store in Kittery, Maine that was hesitant to buy his olive oil. Doukas was offering to put them in the refill and save program. The program allows the customer to buy a bottle and then refill it as needed from a 50 liter stainless steel barrel.
The store just wanted a few bottles as the owner said he only sells 5 bottles a month. Doukas offered to let the store have the refillable bucket (which is about 100 bottles) and only charge for what he sold.
In a week the phone rang from the man and Doukas thought the worst. But, the man needed a refill as it sold out.
“He was one of my first customers and he is still my number one customer,” said Doukas.
Since those early days, Ariston Specialty has expanded adding balsamic vinegar from Modena, Italy.
“Our mission from the very beginning was to provide the American Food Market and eventually the world with premium unsurpassed oils and vinegars at an affordable price,” said Doukas.
Now you can find Ariston products at stores across the country like Home Goods. In New Britain, the products are available at Angelo’s Market.
Ariston’s products have been featured on the Faith Middleton Show “Food Schmooze” on NPR, The Hartford Courant, National Public TV has featured products for fundraisers, and it has been featured several times on The Boston Globe. In the winter of 2007 Ariston was featured on PBS WGBY’s “Making it Here in America.” Ariston’s olive oil and balsamic has received several Best in Connecticut Awards from 2001-2011. Ariston’s olive oil has also received in May 2008 two gold medals at the Fort Lauderdale International Olive Oil Festival, a bronze medal in the 2008 & a silver medal at the 2012 International Olive Oil Competition in Los Angeles, and was recently awarded “Most Favorite” Olive Oil at SIAL CANADA’s 2012 OLIVE d’OR Competition in Montreal.
Doukas said what makes olive oil special is the acidity.
“Acidity is the main ingredient in the quality of olive oil,” he said. “The lower the acidity the better it is.”
Ariston means “the very best” in Greek.
Another big feature is the variety of products Ariston offers.
Olive oils come in blood orange, lemon, lime, chili, chocolate, pizza, thyme, wasabi, garlic, orange, oregano and more.
Among the balsamic vinegars, are blueberry, raspberry, truffle, pomegranate, fig, strawberry, raspberry and plum.
Ariston Specialties also sells green olives and some are stuffed with garlic or almonds.
There is also strawberry, peach, apricot, fig, orange and apple and cinnamon marmalade spreads. Honey featuring real honeycombs in the bottle is also available.
In all there are over 60 products and more is always in production. Chemists come up with flavors and the family tastes tests until they find the perfect products.
Each year Ariston sell about 500 metric tons of oil.
Doukas hopes in the future to have a kitchen in the building for people to do cooking shows using their products.
“This is one of the best kept secrets in New Britain,” said Bill Carroll, business development director. “I met Tom and Denise when they had their pizza shop. I remember when they started this business they had three or four products. We have a number of phenomenal family run businesses in New Britain. I’m very proud we have them here.”
To learn more about Ariston Specialties visit the website at http://www.aristonoliveoil.com or like them on Facebook.
