About Us

From our family of producers and our family company since 1984.

In 2024, The Oil Merchant celebrated 40 years of business. We were the first olive oil specialists in the UK, and today our aims remain the same as they did back in 1984: to champion the small-scale producer and share their carefully learned craft with shops and customers around the UK.

Over the years we have added other products to our range, from vinegars to pesto, sauces and pasta; all from producers who care for the land as much as they do for the quality and aesthetics of their products. Many of our producers we have worked with since the very onset of our company. Others we have found through word of mouth or travels to their respective regions.

The vast majority of these producers choose to spend their money and time honing their craft rather than on marketing, and we are so pleased to be their voice in the UK. The decision was made early on not to put these producers’ products under our own label, but instead to celebrate their brands and the history, passion and quality behind them. We, like our producers, love being able to talk about their olive varieties, harvest reports and more, so please ask us any questions you have.

Where it Began

Founded by Charles, who wrote: “I am the first of four generations not to be a tea planter, and the first of two to be a specialist olive oil importer… as an ex-farmer who loved food and cooking and was looking for a new career. What next? There were enough wine importers around, so why not olive oil? No one else was doing it, apart from some wine merchants as a favour for their producers, and a small number of European shopkeepers.”

Charles, always a keen cook, had recently been introduced to olive oil by his then girlfriend, Sika, who was managing the Elizabeth David Cookery Shop. So he drove to a then little-known town in Tuscany called Seggiano, found a local olive oil cooperative, loaded up as many cases as he could squeeze into his car, and brought them back to London. Unsurprisingly, many were sold to Sika at Elizabeth David, while others went to Partridges, still a loyal customer today. Luck, and the generosity of friends, was with Charles. One lent him office space in his house, another part of his warehouse for storage.

Then, in January 1985, not long after starting this new venture, a terrible frost came to Tuscany and 90% of trees were killed or damaged. For almost the first time, olive oil was being widely written about, and young British chefs (Alistair Little, Simon Hopkinson, Rowley Leigh, Jeremy Lee et al.) were happily splashing it around their pans and finished dishes. Like us, they wanted to know about the provenance of their ingredients and to talk about them much like wine merchants could talk about their wine. It was not long before the home cook followed. Sika joined Charles in the company and together they set out to quietly supply shops and restaurants around the UK, many of whom we still work with today.

Team

The Oil Merchant Today

Today, our office and showroom are just down the road from where we started, although our small team has grown slightly. Charles and Sika are still here (for now), but are now joined by their daughter Issy, as well as Kate, Katie and Sophie in the office, and Bernard in the warehouse. Men are outnumbered here at The Oil Merchant, just as they were among our producers at the beginning (although this has shifted slightly as the next generation takes the reins).

Kate

With us for more years than anybody actually knows, it is likely that you will find Kate at the end of the ‘phone or email, processing orders and ensuring they reach you efficiently. Previously, she ran her own catering company, and you can always rely on her to create interesting recipes with our products, as well as give her honest opinion on some of our more adventurous kitchen creations.

Katie

With previous experience running her own floristry company, and time spent working for her father, we knew that Katie would fit right in. She joined us to whip our imports into shape, ensuring that stock arrives when needed and on time. During this period, she has developed close relationships with our producers and become a wonderful advocate, happy to talk about them and their production to anyone who will listen. Now she is tackling sustainability, traceability and our third-party SALSA certification to help formalise and publicise the work that we and our producers already do.

Sophie

Sophie brings the number of Art History graduates in the office up to 50%, and it is she whom we can thank for our new website. Working across sales and marketing, no two days are the same for Sophie. The only constant is the bottle of balsamic vinegar on her desk, opened at 3pm sharp for a spoonful as an afternoon pick-me-up. Any questions about our balsamic vinegar producers and their ranges should be directed to her.

Bernard

Our warehouse and delivery manager, Bernard, is responsible for picking orders and delivering them to our customers safely, whether via our own van in London or to our pallet hub for customers further afield. Always keen to stay busy, he works efficiently and with precision to dispatch orders as promptly as possible. London-based customers will recognise him from the delivery route.