Working on a farm in Chile some 15 years ago, surrounded by wild horses and stunning views, Sascha Dhanjal Eifler got a taste for quality olive oil and entrepreneurship — and she learned why many U.S. oil and vinegar products are so much cheaper than their global counterparts.
That reality was not so charming — the farmers Eifler worked with used words like “adulterated” and “rancid” to describe the olive oil on many American shelves. She said she later learned “olive oil is one of the most adulterated products in the food industry” and said liquids are ripe for this practice because they are relatively easy to blend and dilute.
To make matters worse, Eifler said climate change has driven olive oil fraud to an all-time high. “Because there’s so many droughts and forest fires in areas that produce extra virgin olive oil, the market for fake olive oil has gone up dramatically.”
The EU in the first quarter of 2024 saw a record number of potential fraud and mislabeling cases, according to The Guardian. Inflationary pressures have driven up the price of olive oil, which has more than doubled since 2018, and extreme weather conditions have significantly affected production.
But Eifler chose to look at the glass — or bottle — half full, and instead of lamenting the quality of oil and vinegar products available to U.S. consumers, she created an alternative. Her company, Saffi Saana, works with global farms to provide pure products. At the same time, she sells in bulk to local restaurants and retailers and uses recycled bottles to limit waste.
“Saffi Saana means ‘very clean’ in Swahili,” said Eifler. “It’s the language spoken where my parents were born.”
A small farm in Kenya supplies Saffi Saana with its avocado oil — Eifler said it is one of only three in the world that produces a premium extra virgin, or “first cold pressed,” avocado oil product — and the company imports its olive oil from Chile for one half of the year and Spain for the other. The oils are never mixed, but harvesting from the southern hemisphere in spring and the northern hemisphere in fall ensure the products are as fresh as possible for retail.
The company also works to keep prices reasonable for products in an expensive market. An 8-ounce bottle of organic canola oil sells for $10, while extra virgin avocado and olive oils cost $18 and $19, respectively, and there are bulk options available that further decrease costs.
“I was honestly so angry and frustrated by food companies in the United States,” said Dhanjal Eifler, “and that’s what made me start Saffi Saana. … Vinegars often have sugar, caramel colorings, xanthan gum, lots and lots of additives. Most avocado oil is a clear color … because it goes through a process of refining, bleaching, and deodorizing.
“Chefs could just taste the difference, night and day. … They felt the same exact frustration I felt working on the farm in Chile.”
Not only was Dhanjal Eifler concerned with offering better quality products, but she also wanted to implement environmentally responsible practices.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. recycles only around 30% of glass each year, so Saffi Saana takes steps to combat glass waste. The company’s wine bottle upcycling program collects used bottles from restaurants, sanitizes them, and reuses them for its oil and vinegar products.
Through another program, restaurants that receive larger quantities of Saffi Saana products in dispensable plastic bags can return the bags to the company, which pays local recyclers to repurpose the plastic for park benches, reusable pallets, composite decking, and more.
The company provides sustainable options to consumers as well, offering bulk dispensers and refillable bottles at grocery stores and other retailers, similar to the Vom Fass franchise, which has long offered this option.
“We’re just trying to be leaders,” said Dhanjal Eifler. “For decades now, so many corporations have put the onus of recycling on consumers … and really, it should be companies that are leading the charge on this.”
Saffi Saana has grown over the past 15 years, but, like many other small businesses, it hit a snag during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We lost a ton in 2020, compared to 2019,” said Dhanjal Eifler. “Bulk sections [at retailers] closed, and restaurants closed, and we lost our business overnight really. If it wasn’t for help from local banks, for getting PPP [Paycheck Protection Program] loans, and the WEDC [Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.], I don’t think we’d still be here.”
The company has had smoother sailing since. She said Saffi Saana has seen 20% growth each year since 2020 and is expanding. It now has a nationwide footprint, concentrated in the Midwest and on the coasts, with a presence in restaurants and grocery stores, including the Madison area’s Willy Street Co-op.
“Willy Street Co-op is happy to carry Saffi Saana olive oil and dark balsamic vinegar,” said Brendon Smith, the store’s marketing and communications director. “Our customers appreciate that it’s a local company offering high quality products, and they’re part of our Inclusive Trade program, highlighting historically underrepresented vendors.”
“While we’re expanding nationally, we’re really focused on staying true to our local community,” Dhanjal Eifler said, “because they’ve been our biggest cheerleaders. You know, there’s not a lot of stores that really champion small brands the way they used to.
“We’re lucky we have those here.”
Saffi Saana
