Most people don’t understand the muddy manufacturing process of olive oil. Aishwarya Iyer is changing that. She is the founder of Brightland, a new olive oil brand that’s grounded in honest, conscious production and local sourcing of olives. After working in public relations and marketing for startup and technology companies in New York, Aishwarya switched coasts and careers. Now, she makes fresh, traceable olive oils with farms she trusts in California. The hand-harvested oils are meant to make you feel alive, awake and nourished from deep within.

On this episode of Well Made, Aishwarya talks about building a traceable olive oil supply chain (7:14). She reveals moments of self-doubt before taking the leap of faith into entrepreneurship (8:21). A particularly warm harvest led to a switch in olive varietals. Aishwarya talks about how sharing that openly with their customers led to one of their largest sale days (12:40). She unveils how she vets her partners (15:35) and the practicalities of launching a brand (27:17). She describes the inspirations for Brightland’s photography, color palette, and white powder-coated glass bottles (29:22). Finally, Aishwarya shares her favorite ways to use Brightland (36:52) and the lasting influence of her mother’s cooking (46:13).

Also mentioned on the show

Link and images can be found on the Lumi Blog.

86 Chasing the Sun with Aishwarya Iyer, founder of Brightland