Spicy Fun

What’s the secret to a great martini? For one local couple it’s all about the olive juice.
“It gives it a little bit of a salty taste. It’s what makes it dirty,” said Dolores Meurer who along with her partner, Jeff Diamond, owns and runs Durty Gurl cocktail condiments.

The business has been running for the past two and a half years and offers 30 different products including hand-stuffed martini olives, and Bloody Mary and margarita cocktail mixes. The products are sold over the internet and in local stores, including Sierra Minit Mart and Save Mart stores, and out-of-state stores and distributors.

Durty Gurl offers 12 different kinds of stuffed olives, including lemon peel and anchovy.
Meurer explains that the second best selling product is the Bloody Mary mix. They have three different flavors.

“Classic, Habanero and Horseradish, and Spicy,” said Meurer. “The Classic is milder, the Habanero and Horseradish is medium, and the Spicy is the hotter of the three.”  

However, their best selling product is the all natural olive juice which is a by-product of making olives.

The company uses an olive supplier in Orland which bottles and labels all of the products.
If a customer lives in the Porterville area, including Visalia, Tulare, Springville, and Camp Nelson, Durty Gurl offers home delivery.

When the couple first started they didn’t have a short-term goal. However, they wanted to “do olive juice” said Meurer. “It’s good to have more than one product.”

Both Meurer and Diamond are from Wisconsin where pickled vegetables are popular.

As part of their line, they have introduced pickled vegetables including mushrooms, brussels sprouts and asparagus which can be placed in the drinks.

Some of their long-term goals include distributing nationwide. So far, they have received internet orders from every state and are distributing in 13 states.

Their first out-of-state distributor, which took six months, was a small distributor near Saint Louis, Mo.

She believes that it is harder to get distributors in California due to the overabundance of olives.

“Easier to get distributors in New Jersey. Little bit more of a rarity here [olives] than in California,” said Meurer.

She hopes to bring the residents of Porterville some pride and bring awareness of Porterville to people outside of the city and state.

Her advice to future business owners is classic.

“Keep trying. You get a lot of nos before a yes. Be passionate about your product and enthusiastic when you talk to people,” said Meurer.  

For more information visit: http://www.durtygurl.net.