On the heels of a successful unveiling in New York City earlier this year, Andrés and Olives from Spain debuted the campaign in Miami and hosted an intimate tasting. The event took place at SAAM at SLS Brickell, home to Andrés’ second Miami outpost, Bazaar Mar, where he showcased how olives can be enjoyed in a variety of forms to 60 of Miami’s influential leaders in the culinary industry and media.
The goal of this new three-year collaboration between the Spanish Inter-Professional Table Olive Organization, INTERACEITUNA and the European Union with Andrés as the campaign ambassador is to raise awareness of the versatility, flavor, nutrition and rich history of olive production in Europe, where olives have been the heart of the culture and cuisine for more than 2,000 years.
“I am absolutely thrilled that we are able introduce the amazing and delicious olives from my home country to the Miami market,” said Andrés. “Miami is such a beautiful city and has an influential Spanish community that I feel they will truly love the flavors and variety.”
The temperate weather of southern Europe and rich, fertile soil are idyllic for growing table olives. Spain is the world leader in production and exports of table olives, accounting for 21 percent of world production and 30 percent of world exports. In 2016, more than 83 percent of the olives imported into the U.S. came from Europe.
The ‘Have an Olive Day’ campaign will run through the year 2019 and will seek to educate U.S. consumers on the different variations of European olives and their culinary uses. While the campaign will launch nationally, it will focus on regions with particularly heavy olive consumption, which include New York City, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and Philadelphia.