We Bring Value

The food we eat should mirror the beauty and abundance of the earth and nature’s ecosystem; inspiring us to enjoy the present moment with people and loved ones. When we sit together to eat, we share, and this strengthens our connection to the planet and our community.

Meet Janell

Owner, Janell Pekkain, works directly with California farmers to offer fresh extra virgin olive oils to consumers. Her mission as an olive oil producer, sommelier, educator, and retailer is to provide quality, certified, locally-produced extra virgin through experience.

She loves to share her sensory expertise with consumers so that they, too, can confidently choose, use, and enjoy a range of flavorful extra virgin olive oils, infused olive oils, and vinegars.

Olive This Olive That was established in 2012 in Noe Valley, San Francisco.

  • Dedicated to Community & Connection

    Janell is a creative entrepreneur who is known for bringing community together and inspiring others to eat well. She believes good health is a right, not a luxury, and is dedicated to serving her community by sourcing quality, fresh ingredients for optimal health and wellness.

    MORE THAN AN OLIVE OIL SHOP: Expertise, Customer Service, Connection

    Over the years, Olive This Olive That has become known as the go-to place for quality and authentic extra virgin olive oil and expertise.

    We love our neighbors and extended community. We see you! We love you! And we are always happy and grateful when you walk through our doors.

  • On Becoming an Olive Oil Sensory Professional

    Did you know that olive oil is graded? The top quality is considered 'extra virgin' and that is determined through our senses, particularly smell and taste. As a trained sensory professional, flavor is important and so is know what shouldn't be detected.

    A simple product isn’t so simple. 

    Shortly after opening OTOT, Janell took a deep dive into sensory education with the California Olive Oil Council (COOC). After many years of committed tasting and education, she became a certified taster or olive oil sommelier.

    She now leads olive oil tastings for company, private, and in-store events and serves as a judge in annual olive oil competitions. She currently serves as a taste panel member on the Applied Sensory panel.

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Cultivating Community Through Food

After traveling abroad for almost 15 years, she decided to hang up her passport for a while and return home to teach ESL at a local Bay Area Community College. As fate would have it, she was faced with hard times as so many people were in 2008 and decided to finally embrace entrepreneurship after finding love. She and her partner co-founded an olive oil shop in Noe Valley in 2012 and that is when OLIVE THIS OLIVE THAT WAS BORN!

But it wasn’t easy sailing from the start and there was a huge learning curve. Right away, she discovered the difference between commodity oil and boutique oil. She learned that lesson the hard way; but with each lesson along the way, she has gained more knowledge and her mission today is to help people have more aha moments in the kitchen versus uh-oh moments.

She took a deep dive into sensory education with the California Olive Oil Council (COOC). After many years of committed tasting and education, she was invited to become an apprentice with the COOC sensory panel and eventually went on to become a certified panel member and is considered one of the most knowledgeable olive oil experts in the Bay Area and has been featured in Food + Wine magazine, San Francisco Chronicle, 7×7 magazine, and numerous other local Bay Area publications.

In 2020, she partnered up with fellow olive oil sommelier Erin Ridley and launched a high-end olive brand, PRMRY with the mission to make it easier to choose, use, and enjoy Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

It's been 12 years since the opening of Olive This Olive That and she is so grateful for all of the support and love the shop has received from this lovely community over the years.