First Look: At Sydney Fish Market Newcomer Olivetta, Small-Batch Olive Oil Is Sacred

Olives have been tapping Karl Schuster on the shoulder for years. He shoots 20 mils of the golden stuff every morning, and his family’s had a small Koroneiki grove in Methoni, Greece, for nearly 40 years. That 50-tree plot provides about 80 litres of olive oil to split between his siblings each year – but he’s going all in on the stuff with Olivetta, a boutique olive oil store inside the new Sydney Fish Market.

Schuster’s reverence for olive oil is clear – he describes it as “life-giving”. And while his collection of oils stars here, the setting is pretty special too.

A hand-cut marble mosaic feature wall greets you as you enter a sandy-toned space. Hand-tiled floors are a jigsaw of polished travertine, with curved walls, gallery-style walls and an island bench covered in large, shiny fusti filled with fresh-pressed oils to taste. It’s closer to a perfumery than a grocer or deli – which is exactly the point.

“Part of my job, and the store’s job, is to turn regular people who don’t appreciate olive oil into people who get it and understand it,” Schuster says. “The health benefits, the impact it has on taste and flavour, the beauty benefits.”

From supermarket bottles to the kinds of drops you’ll find here, olive oil is highly diverse. Olivetta’s range – currently a mix of South African, Greek and Aussie fruit, with Italian and Spanish varieties, too – is small-batch and cold-pressed, available in delicate or robust options, and flavours roaming from the punchy (chilli) and herbaceous (basil) to the sweet and silky (white chocolate). 

“I go personally to the olive farms and choose the best olive oil – every season the trees give different flavour profiles,” Schuster says. “Freshness, herbaceous [flavours] and peppery kick are the things I’m looking for,” says Schuster, who’s a qualified olive oil sommelier. “The stronger the kick, the higher the polyphenol count.” Olive oil is a major component in the  Mediterranean diet, which is high in unsaturated fats, and has been linked to positive outcomes in heart health and dementia. 

The everyday benefits are simpler. “If you slice a beautiful heirloom tomato and eat it raw, it tastes delicious. You pour a tear drop of olive oil onto it, and it just elevates the flavours and taste – you get so much more out of it. We believe every food, no matter what it is, is better off with some olive oil.”

Olivetta
Shop 5, 1 Bridge Road, Glebe 

Hours:
Mon to Thu 9am–6pm
Fri & Sat 9am–10pm
Sun 9am–6pm 

olivetta.com.au
@weareolivetta