I’m writing about Max Zinn - grandson of the Camposi Olive Oil founder and son of the American arm of Camposi imports.
*****
Max had finished two years as a common olive grove laborer in Durham, California. He was getting tired of being a nobody. He had a dual law and business degree and was ready to advance in the family business.
Robert Zinn wanted to establish a Camposi-owned olive facility in the United States - with top processing - and he was ready for Max to do it.
The month after Max left the Durham facility, Max was back in Italy working with the experts at the Camposi compound near Materi, Italy. The discussions focused on what olives produced the most oil and what made the best extra virgin olive oil. Could those two olives be cross-pollinated to make more excellent olives for extra virgin olive oil? The professors at the University of Bari had been working on that topic. The experts said Frantoio olives would be the best. The olive group that Max had worked on had Manzanillo olives.
What facilities might be the best for producing the best quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)? Would they need storage facilities? Cold and cool storage for olives?
Were there better ways to harvest the olives than hand-picking (with rakes)? Were there robotic pickers that could do a better job than manual laborers?
After a month, Max and the Italian olive experts had drawn up specific facilities for the Durham, California grove.
Back in Greenwich, Connecticut, Max, his father, Robert, and the experts at Camposi USA reviewed the plans, and the board of directors approved the project and the funding to make it happen.
Six weeks after he left Durham, California, he returned in a new Ford F-150 club cab pickup. The manager, Carlos Perez, called the workers together and reintroduced Max to them as their new manager over Carlos and the whole facility.
Carlos explained that Max had been studying the California grove for a new olive company in the United States and that there would be some changes.
Max took over from Carlos and had a PowerPoint slide show in Spanish, and Max presented the slides in Spanish. There would be their own EVOO processing facility. They would be introducing Frantoio olives to the grove. The goal was to make the best Extra Virgin Olive Oil in California and the United States at the highest price. They hired two University of California - Davis professors to be consultants. The current workers could stay or leave, but if they stayed, they would get a 10 percent raise immediately, and in five years, if the EVOO was rated in the top five of American Extra Virgin Olive Oils, they would each get a $50,000 bonus.
Construction of the new olive presses would begin next week and hopefully be online for the next crop. Getting a good crossbreeding of Frantoio and Manzanillo olives would take three years. By the fifth year, their oils were expected to yield the best EVOO oil in the United States.
*****
There were other changes, such as a company cafeteria, gym, and recreational facilities on site. There would be childcare on-site and low-interest loans for employees to buy houses nearby.
The employees welcomed the changes and the higher wages. Max chartered buses and took the employees to soccer games, baseball games, and concerts. He paid part-tuition for those employees who participated in the UC-Davis Olive Center seminars and workshops.
The new olive-pressing buildings were more than just olive pressing facilities, but state-of-the-art analyzing enzymes and purity in the olive oil. As existing employees became experts through the UC-Davis Olive Center programs, they got even better jobs in the pressing facility.
Max had a second house built on the grounds. The first house was for the manager - in this case, Carlos Perez. The second house was for Max. He didn’t have to drive to get to work. He could walk the olive groves anytime and smell the olives growing.
The crossbreeding program with the Frantoio and Manzanillo olives was going well.
*****
In Connecticut, Robert Zinn of the American Branch of the Camposi Olive Organization worried a little about the expenses: new processing, new house, higher wages, more benefits.
“What is Max trying to do to us?” asked Janice Soo.
Robert was quiet while Mario Topaz, the chief financial officer (CFO), answered, “We want American Olive Oil to be a huge success. Successes in the business world come from believing you are a success - and looking like a success. The processing was a local step. They were sending their olives to a processing plant in Durham. Real brands don’t outsource this critical step. Yes, it is a significant expense, but we think it will pay off in three to five years with better extraction of the oil in the olives, less waste, and faster processing (and faster to market). The wages weren’t a difficult decision either. Yes, our employees at American Olive Oil are paid more than the average olive grove employees. Yes, we give them more benefits. Can you imagine how few of them ever has been to see a major league soccer or baseball game? They will tell their grandchildren someday that American Olive Oil was a great workplace. They will feel good about themselves and the company they are working for. Some are already telling their friends. Some companies call their employees “teammates” rather than just “employees.” We want our olive pickers to be part of the team. If they see a blighted tree, they’ll want to tell Max about it immediately. It’s a ‘buy-in” philosophy.
*****
Olives tend to be self-pollinating. Each tree has both male and female blossoms. The wind moves the pollen around sufficiently.
Max brought bees into the olive grove with the advisors from the University of California - -Davis Olive Forum. They divided the grove into four parts. The first section had an area with sweet clover. They introduced bees that would get the pollen from the clover and olives. The second section had an area of California wildflowers, most notably the will poppy; the third area had marigolds and zinnias; and the fourth area used lavender bushes. The bees would also produce honey, which could be bottled and sold for additional revenue.
Max had three of his staff trained as beekeepers. In addition to olive grove duties, they would handle the bees. They collect the honeycomb frames, scrape off the waxy coating, and put the remaining open honeycombs into a centrifuge to extract the honey.
The honey was labeled as “Clover Honey,” “Poppy Honey,” “Lavender Honey,” and just “Honey” from the American Olive Groves. It was sold mainly in the Sacramento to Davis area in the first years. Olive blossoms don’t produce much pollen, but the pollen collected when mixed with the flowers was tasty with just a hint of olives. Eventually, it became a national brand at specialty shops.
*****
With UC-Davis advisors and interns, samples of olives were collected and analyzed twice a month, generally on the first and third Mondays. Max and the interns monitored the moisture content. Too much moisture and the fruit could rot; too little moisture would indicate less oil would be produced.
They inspected the olive trees for diseases such as black-scale, Rutherglen bug, Olive lace bug, and other conditions. If a disorder was discovered, certain pesticides were used to combat it.
*****
The UC-Davis advisors and Max, Carlos, and others from the American Oil Growers company met monthly to discuss the situation. There were reports on growing conditions, moisture, diseases, marketing processes, quality, and progress toward being America's best extra virgin olive oil.
Dr. Louise Larkner was one of the faculty members from UC-Davis that Max had hired as an advisor. She was a recent Ph.D. from Texas A&M University, and her dissertation was on diseases of fruit trees with an emphasis on olive trees.
Louise wasn’t necessarily pretty, but Max took an interest in her. Now approaching thirty years old, Max sometimes thought of his biological clock.
Louise didn’t seem too interested in Max - other than as an olive consulting with an olive grower.
Louise and the UC-Davis team looked over the data. The moisture was in the acceptable range. There was no evidence of disease. The trees picked at random were healthy. The fruit was growing well, and the population of olives on the trees was good to very good.
Then Louise did something that surprised Max. She stood in the grove and carefully smelled the aroma. Max thought he was the only one who relied on aroma evidence and had yet to meet other olive aroma analysts in his years working on olives.
He asked, “What are you doing, Dr. Larkner?”
Louise answered, “I’m smelling the fragrance put out by the olive blossoms and the olives. If one is alert, one can detect diseases in the air.”
She moved around through the grove and stopped once, where a branch was partially broken off a tree.
She stepped up to where the branch hung awkwardly from the rest of the tree.
She bent her head to smell the branch. (Max also had sensed the aroma). She looked around and said, “This branch has been broken from this tree. It stuck into the travel lane where your trucks might have clipped it while driving through the grove. It would be about the same height as a mirror on one of your trucks.”
Max was impressed. He suspected she was right in her statement.
She found only one other questionable aroma - this time where a squirrel could have disturbed a branch. It wasn’t broken, just slightly bruised, and would probably heal naturally.
*****
Max invited Louise for coffee in the employee center after the visual inspection.
Max started, “Years ago, I discovered I could smell things in the grove. I have never seen anyone else detect diseases or problems because of smell. Are there others that can smell olive problems?”
Louise gasped, “I thought I was the only one who used smell. My father grew olives near Carrizo Springs, Texas. As a little girl, I realized I could smell things others couldn’t. I don’t discuss it much, as not everyone thinks the olfactory sense is valid. Can you tell me more about your use of scents in olives?”
Max said, “My family is the Camposi family in Italy. I spent every other summer with my grandparents in Materi, Italy. One day, it just occurred to me that I could smell things. I “know” when the olives are ripe for picking, when something is wrong, like a disease or other problem. When you pointed out the broken branch, I noticed the distressed smell, too.”
Louise Larkner sat with her eyes open wide.
“You are part of the Camposi family? Since I was a girl, my father talked about the extra virgin olive oil from the Camposi family. I studied abroad for a summer at the University of Bari, and we toured the Camposi estate.
Max laughed.
“It might not be oblivious, but I have a JD (Juris Doctor), an MBA (Master of Business Administration), and a certificate from the University of Bari. I guess I didn’t go on for the Ph.D. My family was ready for me to get to work.”
Louise retorted, “Well, when you are ready to be an adjunct professor at UC Davis, we’ll be glad to have you!!!
The ice was broken. Louise recognized Max as an academic and an olive grower, and Max recognized Louise as part of an olive-growing family and an academic.
They talked informally about the Camposi family's goal of having one of the top three domestic EVOO brands in the United States. Louise supported Max’s goals.
Louise comments, “I think you are well on your way. You’ve introduced Frantoio and Manzanillo olives, a good blend for top growers. You’ve built your olive oil processing. You’ve introduced bees and honey into the orchard. And you’ve established a committed team of workers. I expect your results this year will be much better than last, and you’ll be at the top in two years.”
Louise needed to return to campus, and Max walked her back to her car. He noticed that Louise did not have a wedding ring.
After she left, Max immediately got on his computer and checked the faculty biographies for the Olive team at UC Davis. It didn’t mention any husband or family for Louise Larkner. Maybe this could be a girlfriend for him. He grinned at his computer.
*****
The rest of the growing season went well. The UC Davis consultant came twice more, including Louise, who came early and stayed late for coffee with Max. Max was just about ready to ask her for a date, but it seemed like the phone rang or an employee entered the lounge, and it just didn’t seem appropriate.
They built a white fence with pillars on Midway Street, the local highway past the American Olive Grove estate. It made the place look more like a true leader in the olive oil field. Of course, the judges of the top olive oils wouldn’t know which growers submitted which oil, but it was a way of saying, at least to Max and his competitors, that American Olive Grove was now a significant business.
*****
Max did walk the olive groves most evenings with Carlos Perez. Even the little things caught their eye.
Max noted, “It seems like the lawnmower nicked this tree.” He pointed to a cut about grass height and said, “Put a note out to bandage that cut.”.
A few trees later, the grass around the tree was too high, “Make sure the mower is getting the grass around all the trees.”
They inspected the graff where the Frantoio scions were attached. “Looking good”, Carlos commented.
****
Max helped Carlos recognize the olive smells and the subtle differences as the olives ripened to maturity.
Even though Carlos was his boss in his first year, Carlos knew that Max would come back, and they had a great working relationship - even with Max now being the boss.
*****
One evening, Max and Carlos were walking through the grove, and Max stopped abruptly. “Something isn’t right; I can smell it.”.
They stopped. They were quiet as Max tested the air to find which direction they should go. Carlos also tried the air and noted just a hint of something rotten.
Whispering as if talking might take the smell away, Max pointed to the south, and the two men started slowly walking that way. Max led the way - and stopped every four or five steps to check on the smell. Soon, even Carlos was detecting something.
Max whispered, “We’re closer, I can tell.”
He suddenly stopped. It was twilight and not total night yet, but Max pulled out his cell phone and turned on the flashlight app. At the base of one of the olive trees was a dead man.
Max flashed his phone’s flashlight app at the man - and both Max and Carlos gasped. Juan Garza had been fired from American Olive Oil for stealing lots of olives two years ago. He had on a black shirt and slacks. Next to him on the ground was an empty bin, presumably for holding olives. But, the olives weren’t ready yet - he would have known that.
They looked around quickly. The body was face up, and a nice neat hole was through Juan Garza’s forehead. The blood had died, so it had been at least a few hours.
Max asked Carlos asked, “How did he get in?”.
Carlos answered, “There is a gate in the fence not far from here. It has a combination lock on it with the combination of 24-12-17. We haven’t changed the combination, so I’m guessing Juan remembered the combination.
Max responded, “Well, we have to call the authorities. I’ll call 911 and report a murder.”
Max immediately called 911 and reported a body in the olive grove at American Olive Oil. The dispatcher indicated a squad car would arrive in less than twenty minutes.
Carlos wanted to check the dead man's pockets, but Max stopped him.
Max said, “Let the cops handle it. There might be fingerprints or other evidence on the body. “
Max continued, “Carlos, go to the front entrance and direct their vehicle to that back gate. I’ll stay here - just in case something else comes up.”
Carlos left. Max turned off his flashlight app on his iPhone and sat on the ground - just listening. Was the killer still around waiting for him or Carlos? The only sounds Max heard were just natural night sounds.
Max sniffed to see if there were any additional aromas or odors on the breeze, but nothing out of the ordinary - other than the body at the base of the tree.
From his position, he heard cars on the nearby Midway road. He thought he heard a car at the front of the American Olive Oil and then a vehicle approaching. “That would be Carlos,” Max thought.
A Butte County sheriff’s car pulled up to the gate. Max could see the car’s headlights. He heard them open the gate and pull in on the service road. Max turned on his flashlight app again and waved it above his head to let them know where he was.
************
End of episode two of Max Zinn and Olive Oil
LOVE WINS
LOVE TRANSFORMS
KAREN WHITE, ©, AUGUST 26, 2023
