The True Olive Connection

Cute shop with tons of olive oil and balsamic oil samples! Nice service and decently priced — if you are committed to buying some good EVOO chances are you will find the one you’re looking for here =)
PS. Check in for 10% off. I forgot to =(

As a college student, of college age, in a college town — it’s so hard to go into a nice high end place and be taken seriously.
BUT LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT THIS PLACE
So, since I always have bad experiences at places like these, I walked in already angry and ready to fight whoever was about to harass me because it «clearly looks like you cannot afford the product» (I’m basically the worst kind of customer)
And then I walk in, and there’s this girl wearing a neon green shirt (seriously owners? Neon green? Do you hate your employees? Lol)
ANYWAY, she has a trendy nose pricing and a nice smile and was of college age (score!) so I’m immediately less hostile. She asks me if I have any questions and of course I do because there are so many options.
So we talk about flavors I like and what I like to pair my oils and vinegars with and she is too nice and too funny.
BUT THEN an older lady walks in and in my head I’m like «this girl better not dump me for the lady who looks like she got money»
HOWEVER, Maya finishes some pairing samples she was doing for me and tells the lady she’ll be with her when she’s done with these samples she’s doing for me. (Uhmmm, I love this girl.)
I get through my samples and I make some decisions and Maya notices I’m done and she acknowledges me and asks for just a sec while she wraps up with the lady.
When Maya is free she comes back to me and I make my purchases and I throw in a trendy oil and vinegar dish because why not.
All in all, The True Olive Connection has an awesome selection of gourmet oils and vinegars and trendy dishes your Mom will jump for joy over.
And MAYA IS LIT, that customer service is on point. Hit it up, you won’t regret it y’all.

I’ve been to a couple of stores like this, e.g., the Oil & Vinegar chain. These olive oils and vinegars were much better than the other stores I’ve been to. I didn’t try the infused oils, but they’ve got a wide range of olive oils and we walked away with two bottles. The jams and honeys were tempting too.
We got good service, with the two people working there ready to answer any question, and suggesting which oils we should try based on our preferences.

I can easily spend $ 100 here! I love that you are able to sample all of the oils and vinegars. Some of my favorites are the coconut white vinegar with the marsala oil (great on shrimp), the Sicilian lemon white vinegar (for lemon chicken or on a salad), the cinnamon pear balsamic (I just sampled this but it’s tasty enough to guzzle down), the strawberry balsamic (delicious on a spinach salad with feta!). I just bought the bacon olive oil, so we’ll see how that one tastes. It smells great! Oh and the black truffle oil is simply divine! These oils and vinegars are great for cooking or drizzling over salads. I glanced at their website and it looks like they have recipes too.

My husband and I were out exploring downtown Santa Cruz and happened to come across this amazing little gem. Olive Oil, sounds simple right? This little store was nothing but simple. Not only was the owner Susan welcoming and friendly, but the way she took the time to share her knowledge of the many varieties of oil and vinegar was warm and informative. She took the time and explained what was in each one and where they came from. She poured each sample and pared it with a little piece of bread and they were all amazing. We had a hard time making a choice but decided on the Rosemary Infused Olive Oil and the Tuscan Herb Blend. We also purchased an Olive Health Oil. A wonderful body lotion infused with Olive Oil and a couple other things. Overall my experience here was exceptional and I can’t wait to get them home and enjoy them. Thanks Susan!

While they sell oil and vinegar, Susan sure is sweet as pie!
She was very thorough in making sure my shipping order was just right.
When I didn’t respond to an email, she called me. Awesome customer care.
Thanks!
And, the lavender balsamic vinegar… nectar of the gods!
Cheers,
Jodi

A great place to get gifts for friends and relatives. They sell different types of olive oil and vinegar. They have oils from Spain, Italy, Greece, San Jaquin Valley, and more, but these are just the pure olive oils. We have the flavored olive oils also. there is the Tuscan Garlic one… wow I don’t think I need to put in anymore garlic if I use that oil. The vinegar is also very good. The fig and original are very good, haven’t really try the flavored ones yet. But heard good things about them. Very good gifts for everyone. And here’s the best part, they give out free samples for every single oil and vinegar they have with bread. Awesome!

We came in looking for a specific item that we have had in local restaurant. The owner was extremely helpful and knew exactly what we were looking for. She helped choose an olive oil to go with the balsamic we wanted. Appreciated the tastings and her extensive knowledge! Great place for gifts too!

We had a fabulous time at our private tasting! The food was wonderful, not only are they knowledgable and fun but they are very generous!!! And they support local schools and that is reason enough to support their business!

True Olive Connection– I love you.
Fantastically fresh olive oils and vinegars, all ready for the tasting! I love the huge variety, friendly staff, and that this business is included on the Santa Cruz Food Tour.
My favorites ever are:
Olive Oils:
Picual — organic from Spain (super high in polyphenols), Blood Orange, Chipotle, Harissa, Lemon, and Lime
Vinegars:
Serrano Honey, Grapefruit Balsamic, and Ripe Peach
You can’t go wrong with any of them AND you can try them ALL.
Great tip: buy any of the vinegars (and/​or oils) and drizzle on top of vanilla ice cream. WOW.
If you buy some oils or vinegar, finish it, then bring the bottle back in to get a refill, you get $ 1 off your purchase.

Very pure and natural, very impressive!
You actually get a real tasting with dozens of flavored to choose from
Highly recommend

I was given a bottle of vinegar as a gift years ago and have fell in love with the product ever since. My sister lives in Santa Cruz so whenever I run low she picks me up a bottle. But, this past trip I was able to actually visit the store. This store sells a variety of different vinegars and olive oils. Don’t be shy and taste a few. The owners are very nice, and knowledgeable. They can help you pick out the best combinations for whatever your use. I use it on my salads. It’s the perfect dressing. I’ll be back!

Susan and her husband have a wonderful little store with high-​end olive oils and vinegars from around the world. The staff are patient and knowledgeable, and the store has great ambiance. If you like cooking with or for someone, I’d say it’s even a fun place to bring a date!
Confession: I’ve been known to lick a dessert plate from a fabulous dessert.
Second confession: I’m now willing to lick my SALAD PLATE if it has even a drop of my blueberry dark balsamic vinegar left on it. Be still my beating heart.
My birthday wish list is going to be generated from this store… oh my.

I first stopped into the True Olive Connection a couple years ago when a friend told me of a backpack drive that was taking place outside the store. If you brought in a new or used backpack, you got a 20% off coupon for the store. So I went and checked it out. I was very impressed then, the owners were milling through and providing helpful suggestions.
One thing I hate is to drink water. I try, and I know it’s good for me, but it is just a chore to choke it down. I like flavored waters, but all of them are loaded with fake sugar or stevia, which I don’t like. The owner asked me if I had heard of the Soda Stream machine, and we had just bought one recently. He showed me how to mix some of the balsamic vinegars in with the sparkling water. What a revelation! I love vinegar, and I even like Kombucha with the exception of the globule of gunk floating around in it like a lava lamp. So this was a win-​win! A splash of cranberry-​pear balsamic in my water is a tasty way for me to enjoy it.
I’ve since been back a few times — got Christmas gifts there last year — and today I visited to speak to Susan, the owner, about them participating in the Taste of Santa Cruz event this November. I have had great service and enthusiasm from this local gem. And I love that they recycle their bottles, so just bring them back for refilling.

I originally gave this place a mixed review (still 2 stars, sorry). I didn’t enjoy my shop experience and didn’t find the woman managing the place credible /​knowledgeable about food in general. I found pricing that was «inconsistent» from four different contact points, because she didn’t realize that she was dealing with the same person in each case.
What I didn’t expect was a series of email berating me, calling me dishonest and warning I’d have a terrible life with my spouse, then denying that I had the right shop, then expressing bafflement that I had a negative experience. In that order.
As to the shop: it’s a nice addition to Santa Cruz. If you like straight-​up extra virgin olive oil or balsamic vinegar, they are radically over-​priced. If you like blood orange flavored olive oil or blueberry flavored balsamics, they’re a little more competitive with the unknowns you’ll find on Amazon. We found it an excellent tasting room (but don’t ask the girls in the back for help), although others have reported being chased out for being college-​aged.
DO NOT GIVE THIS WOMAN YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS. She has promised not to contact me again, but I have a complaint in with Unilocal in this regard. This is supposed to be forum for sharing our experiences about businesses — and yes, some of them will be negative, or catch an owner on a bad day. None of that is license to send a series of aggressive emails to the reviewer. I won’t be back.

This store is a one stop shop for our holiday shopping for our «foodie» friends. The store and the staff go out of their way to provide an expceptional tasting experience of olive oils and balsamic vinegars. Their gift pack of 6 different oils and vinegars, customized by us, is a big hit for our family, friends and clients. Thank you to Susan and her staff, for their knowledge and helpfulness.
We also purchased some infusted sea salts to compliment our gifts. The store will also ship and they are on the web.
I would suggest going during the week this time of year as the weekends can be a little crowded. During your wait, begin mixing and matching different options and taste with the yummy bread provided.

I love these guys. Sure it’s not cheap but who else will sell me giant bottles of butter flavored (yet no dairy) Olive oil for my popcorn! They have an amazing selection of other oils and vinegars too, my wife loves the balsamic fig in particular.
They are super nice people too and they even let well behaved doggies come inside. Go in, have a free taste and get something good.

We came here after seeing their booth while wine tasting during the SCMWA’s Roots that Rock event. The gentleman at the booth was very friendly and invited us to the shop. We each got $ 5 off coupons in the brochures he gave us.
There was no one else in the shop when we arrived, so it was a bit awkward to see & taste everything in the dead quiet while the employee watched us & could hear all our comments. However, he did answer questions we had. BUT I asked him if the coupon was good on the small bottles of oil & he said yes. After we picked out two & tried to use our coupon, he said we can’t use them on the small bottles. What??? That is why I asked you earlier if it qualified! He just said sorry. I believe he should have honored his word and given us credit for the coupon, but no such courtesy here.
We selected the traditional balsamic vinegar and the green chile oil. Both were very tasty. The traditional balsamic vinegar is tart, but sweet as well, so it has a pleasant finish & is unique to any other vinegar I have tried. The green chile oil was well infused with the green chile & had a strong pepper taste with a bit of heat.
As other reviewers have said, the prices here are very high. I understand these are gourmet items, but you can find similar quality products elsewhere for a much less. I enjoyed my visit to a CO tasting room much better, where they had even more selection, more items to taste with, and a more reasonable price point.

An olive oil store of Santa Cruz with a tasting bar? Get your happy dance on! I’m a sucker for great ingredients because I do so much cooking at home.
Why I am not dazzled is because the set up is similar to The Olive Bar in Campbell. While I was greeted and I did have the freedom to try anything, after I was told that, the sales staff ran away. That’s how it differs. At The Olive Bar, they stay with you and let you know the history of each, what foods you could pair it with and they are kind of a Sherpa throughout your experience.
The single source oils were very similar but I was very disappointed with the «diffused» oils. I tried the butter one and almost threw up. It was like artificial movie theater popcorn butter mixed with olive oil. Yuck! The lime one sounded interesting but again, it tasted like artificial flavors. I’m use to high quality infused oil such as the Lucero Crushed Meyer Lemon that gives you a naturally infused oil that tastes real and not artificial.
Between the poor customer service that ran away after the meet and greet and the flavor profiles that made me feel sick to my stomach, I didn’t even give the balsamic a chance. I was done and walked out. I found more interesting oil down the street at Shoppers Corner. Bummer. This place had potential.

FINALLY a napa-​esque place has come to Santa Cruz!
I stopped in here and was totally surprised!
There and tons of vinegars and olive oils/​products to choose from!
Wait. TRUFFLE SALT? TRUFFLE OIL? Yes you heard right my friends. there are tons of Galena Garlic Company spices as well!
Galena Garlic Company makes tons of great spice combos. those go for 6.50 each for a pouch
Similar to Napa you can taste the vinegars and different olive oils.
My favorite thus far: Dark Chocolate Balsamic Vinegar, the Herbs de Provence Olive Oil and the Blood Orange Olive Oil.
and then there is a the truffle oil… nomz!
Majority of their stuff hails from different regions in Italy…
There is always brownies (made with olive oil) and bread if you are weirded out by trying vinegar and olive oil straight from the sampling cup.
The bottles range from 15 dollars and up.
The cool thing is the oil stays in the holding tanks until the customer is ready to buy. then they cork and seal the bottles in front of you :-)
They have been open about 6 weeks.
A truly welcomed addition to downtown Santa Cruz!