Menlo Park resident Margot Pavsidis initially came up with the idea as something to be used for hotel room service or on airplanes (she worked for Philippine Airlines for several years). Each Elly Olive Oil 20-mL bottle comes with Italian Modena balsamic on the bottom and extra virgin olive oil on the top, ready to be shaken and poured on a salad or available for bread dipping. (The glass bottles are reusable, so you could purchase one and remake it on your own.)
Above: A four pack of Elly Olive Oil bottles. Photo courtesy Margot Pavsidis.
"Elly" comes from the Greek word for olive, "elies"; Pavsidis was born in Los Altos but has a Greek background.
"Whatever I can do to make your life easy, to make it entertaining, to make your guests happy and to bring people together -- that's where my heart and soul is," Pavsidis said.
Elly Olive Oil is only for sale at brick and mortar stores (not online). Local spots to purchase include Piazza's in Palo Alto, Roberts Market in Woodside, Bianchini's in Portola Valley, Andronico's in Los Altos, Draeger's Market and Beltramo's in Menlo Park. The bottles come in two, four and six packs; prices vary slightly depending on the retailer.
Next year, she'll be coming up with flavored versions.
