Weka Olive Oil

Laurie and Peter Rothenberg were lawyers in New York City. After 9/11, looking for a place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, they bought some land in Ngatimoti, New Zealand in the Moutere Hills at the northern end of the South Island. They planted a grove of olive trees on the hillside, and a few years later when the trees bore fruit, they became olive oil producers. They named their farm after the local weka birds that wander all over the property.

They planted their grove of just over a thousand trees in 2007, selecting similar olives to what you'd find in Tuscany—leccino & frantoio—plus some Greek Koroneiki olives. What they're pressing and bottling is an exceptional oil—and a rare one. In a really good year, they might get a total of 2,500 liters of oil; in a tough year, they're lucky to get half that amount.

Most of what they produce stays in New Zealand, but since Laurie & Peter split their time between NYC and New Zealand, a small portion finds its way to restaurants in New York and small speciality stores like Zingerman's. Lucky us!