et Oliva with Patrick Drennen Karsu feature 49 of Together Talks

KLS
Aug 8, 2023
5 min read

Updated: Apr 14

"Together Talks" feature 49: et Oliva presented by KLS, freight company

Some Background on et Oliva

Today's edition of "Together Talks" campaign, KLS had the opportunity to interview Patrick Drennen Karsu, Founder, of et Oliva. et Oliva is a Mediterranean Food Brand that has been manufacturing high end, artisan Turkish and Aegean Products since 2021. It became the mission of et Oliva to produce True Aegean flavors, close to nature. Their products are inspired by the mezze style of dining, composed of small plates meant to stimulate appetite. They are a small, independent, and NGLCC certified LGBT owned and operated company. They are passionate about food security and social justice and through their continued work, they are striving to make positive impacts locally and abroad.

At et Oliva, they believe that food should be more than just sustenance. They strive to put love and passion into each of their products, and create experiences that inspire you to cook and enjoy food with your friends and family. With over 15 years of experience as a chef and a graduate of business school, Patrick brings a unique combination of culinary and business knowledge to the table.

The Start

The company was founded in February 2021 by Patrick. After 15 years in culinary as a chef, he transitioned into accounting and financing for 5 years. The Pandemic hit and he had a self-realization he wanted to do something else. He had this idea for a while, but it often remained a hobby with a few false starts along the way. Ultimately Patrick shared with us, "I am really bad at following directions – It’s not that I have some attitude problem or something, but it’s that I often times over think the instructions, so I wind up getting results that are not expected. For the longest time this has hampered my career growth. Now, as a CEO, my company thrives because of it". The idea started to gain some momentum. That paired with the timing and financing worked perfectly and he created the business while transitioning to doing it full-time.

The company is currently in almost 350 stores nationwide. In addition, they sell D2C on their website and through Macys.com. Recently they entered into a partnership with Rainforest Distribution. Patrick informed us the goal was to get an additional 150 accounts, and they have already exceeded that. He shared, "I'm very happy with our partnership with them. The one thing that is unique about Rainforest is they actually care about the product. They invest time and energy to research the product to get it in the right doors and in front of the right demographics". Their products are also available at Macy's currently as et Oliva has a partnership with them and are in discussions with William Sonoma and Plum Markets.

Innovation and Purpose

We asked Patrick what separates et Oliva from competition, he explained, "We are the first Turkish American company in North America to be providing goods to a mainline retail foray. The Turkish food industry has been standardized with exports unfortunately. Our goal was to bring these flavor profiles to this continent and make it more mainstream. On top of bringing these extraordinary flavor profiles and foods from the Mediterranean region to expand the reach, et Oliva does not use any fillers. Our products are as close to nature as possible". Even more impressive they are accomplishing this without the large traction and funding as some other companies within the space.

Philanthropy

The company has philanthropy baked into it as Patrick told us. When the earthquake happened in Turkey, et Oliva was the only company that donated food to Patrick’s Knowledge. He Elaborated, "Because of the political climate in the region, you just cannot be too careful when you send money. It could go to those who need it. However, it could go to certain despotic building projects; you just never know - but one thing is certain; you can't build a palace out of crackers". Adamant about providing actual value with the resources donated, Patrick and his company chose to donate their products over money so it was used in the appropriate manner.

The company also partners with non-profit organizations that help assist LGBTQ youth at risk. Patrick is hoping to become a mentor in the space to help provide jobs, resources, and a sense of community by assisting people in starting out. He is looking forward to continuing giving back and making a difference in that way.

As Patrick told us, "We don't want to follow trends, we aim to set them. We are not a fad business, we won't be billed something we aren't. We know our values and are true to them".

Challenges

Throughout our talk, challenges came up for both et Oliva and Patrick personally. He stated balance was a key one, in essence scaling the company with the constraints of funding. Patrick shared that financing and getting investors on board initially, but then keeping them engaged. That often times has Patrick trying to push the needle to acquire more financing and funding with the growth on the sales size. Constantly having the pipeline built for sales + distribution + manufacturing to again balance the growth of et Oliva.

Patrick also shared the self-doubts he faced when first making the full time transition, but also those concerns still are there present day. Part of the process of being the founder. Patrick shared, "It gets pretty dark sometimes. I've considered mailing it in. But I always take a step back and look at the entire landscape. I realize how great the product is and won't let myself give up on what we are creating. When it gets rough, that is when you know you are so close".

What an insightful outlook!

As Patrick recently told us, he isn't the biggest fan of following directions, which is why et Oliva is such a beautiful opportunity for him as he can follow his passion and let his creativity truly flow.

The Creation, The Process, The Future

The product was launched in November 2021 with an array of provisions which essentially were jams, tapenades, and spreads. They in time cut out spices due to the slower turnaround time. Ultimately they were seeking products that increased velocity. And touching again on one of the challenges, having only the provisions was creating a minor problem. Patrick solved this problem by introducing the lavash crackers. Now the products perfectly paired together.

Keeping everything in perspective is a challenge at times for Patrick, but something he enjoys conquering. One way he does this is "focus on good days, learn from bad days". He gave an incredibly insightful tip of, "The biggest challenge is getting yourself to a place where you don't put yourself and your company in a position to only make bad choices".

He mentioned validation coming from a big PO or when a manufacturing partner took a picture of his product on a shelf in a market he didn't know he was in, or strangers are buying his product and they don't know who he is. Being patient but having a long-term outlook is crucial Patrick states, but remaining consistent is ultimately the secret ingredient.

Patrick ended our conversation talking about the biggest joys he experiences and enjoys, the relationship building. He told us being able to feed people is such an intimate act that is curated with love and compassion, to provide that in such a large reach is really incredible.

In Closing

KLS wants to thank et Oliva and Patrick Drennen Karsu, Founder, for for today's "Together Talks" feature. Keep up to date with et Oliva by following their blog on their website, check it out here. Follow along for the et Oliva journey with their social handles below!