Oakland, NJ – June 24, 2024 – Straight from France’s heartland of fruit, Olbia jams will make their US debut at the Summer Fancy Food Show. Olbia is imported and distributed by French Feast (booth 6056). Jean-Eric Lavenir, founder of Olbia with his wife Elisabeth, is at the show to present the fine jams.
Olbia jams are made with perfect table quality fruit harvested at optimal ripeness for rich, authentic flavors and maximum fructose content, which means less added sugar. The fruits are harvested in the morning, cooked in small batches, and hand-filled in jars by the afternoon. “We are unique among jam makers in always using fresh fruit, never frozen, which are hand-picked in open fields--no greenhouses or hydroponic cultivation,” says Jean-Eric.
Olbia specializes in old fruit varieties selected for their taste. The range includes exceptional and rare fruits such as
- Bergeron apricots
- Meched black cherries from Provence
- Corsican clementines
- Black fig from Solliès AOP
- Lemons from Menton IGP
- Williams pear
- Willamette raspberries
- Mara des bois strawberries
These fruits are grown in the best-fruit-growing lands in the Var, Provence, and Corsica, and in Olbia’s own orchards and gardens, located in Hyeres. The jams are made with a minimum of 65% fruit pulp from whole fruit, fructose naturally contained in the fruit, topped up with cane sugar to meet minimum legal sugar content (55° Brix), with natural fruit pectin as needed. “The result is an exceptional preservation of each fruit variety’s organoleptic properties: color, aroma, flavor, texture, retro-olfaction,” emphasizes Jean-Eric.
The exceptional jams are sold in the finest cheese shops in France, including Laurent Dubois and Quatrehomme in Paris, Androuet in Versailles, and La Mère Richard in the Halles de Lyon.
The jams have found a devoted following among the most famous French chefs, including Alain Ducasse, Alain Dutournier, Thierry Marx, Eric Briffard, Guy Savoy, Guillaume Gomez, Marc Haeberlin, and Laurent Petit.
About Olbia
Elisabeth and Jean-Eric Lavenir achieved their lifelong dream to pool their broad global management experience and diverse skills to start Olbia en Provence in their hometown of Hyeres, where Provence meets the French Riviera.
Born and raised on the shores of the Mediterranean, Elisabeth grew up among orchards, citrus and strawberry farms in Tunisia and Hyeres, Provence. She holds degrees in political science and business administration. Elisabeth held senior management positions at French media and entertainment group Canal+, Boots Healthcare International and headed Williams Sonoma buying offices in Europe.
Jean-Eric was born in Marseilles and was raised in New York City and Kenya. He spent his childhood and teenage summers working on his family’s vineyards and olive groves around Aix en Provence. He holds a degree in political science and is a French naval aviation combat veteran. He is also an alumnus of Ferrandi Paris culinary college. Jean-Eric held global management positions at French fashion and beauty houses Lagerfeld, Caron, Courreges and was CEO of Patou.
About French Feast
Born of a deep love of France and a fascination with its foods and culinary traditions, French Feast has been importing and distributing French foods since 1999. Today French Feast offers more than 2,000 products from 200 brands, representing every region of the country. French Feast works tirelessly to bring the very best France has to offer, whether it’s a rare ingredient sought by a Michelin-starred chef or the proverbial Proustian madeleine.
Contact:
Phyllis Brooks, press@frenchfeast.com