Andrew Benin, co-founder, Graza

On building the buzzy olive oil brand.

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If you follow food people online, you’ve likely seen bottles of Graza Olive Oil show up in their cooking or as props across their content. For a while, it felt like *everyone* was using Graza, and their Drizzle and Sizzle oils became IT products.

Launched in 2022, the brand uses Picual olives from Jaen, Spain giving consumers a well-priced, single origin product. They’re sold in opaque, plastic squeeze bottles with a screw top that makes them more functional than the typical glass bottles, and they have catchy and fun branding.

Running a small business is very time consuming, but Andrew was able to answer questions via email about building his buzzy olive oil brand.

Brianna Plaza: Tell me about your background. 

Andrew Benin: After spending two years living in Spain, I was enamored with Spanish culture and developed a nurturing relationship with food—one that came with consistent meals accompanied by new friends. I realized that olive oil was the glue to every meal, as it’s a simple ingredient without any necessary modifications. With this in mind, Graza was born! Before Graza, I worked with reputable brands including Magic Spoon, Casper, Warby Parker, IKEA España, and more. I graduated from Binghamton University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Internal Business and Management.

Brianna Plaza: The olive oil industry can feel like a saturated market, what made you choose this path?

Andrew Benin: Graza was really a passion project turned business. I had taken some baby steps into the food community (Magic Spoon and staging at Gramercy Tavern), but the big leap was finally deciding to move to Spain. We usually romanticize such experiences in the Mediterranean, and our little capitalist minds try to bottle up the Southern European charm and sell it as a premium way of life stateside, with premium price tags. Truly, I was just observant of my wife's family in Cadiz, and they used olive oil so liberally, so freely, so frequently in their cooking, it just stood out as the glue to all things in the kitchen. I had my mother-in-law teach me how to drive stick, and I drove all over Andalusia tasting olive oil at every farm/co-op that would let me in (most did, thankfully). We then lugged suitcases filled with really fancy olive oil back to NYC, and I brought some for a tasting at Gramercy Tavern, and that's when some real magic happened. Mike, the head chef, put me in my place by reminding me that we don't really need another ultra-luxury, small batch and super expensive olive oil. They are cost-prohibitive and don't increase the likelihood of people choosing to cook with olive oil over unhealthy, highly processed cooking fats. Soon after this realization, Graza was born. 

photo c/o Graza’s Instagram

Brianna Plaza: What is the inspiration behind the squeeze bottle? Can you talk to me about the development process for your bottles?

Andrew Benin: The idea was to create a brand that provided the highest quality olive oil at fair prices, in a format that everyone could enjoy. The squeeze bottle was a total “A-HA” moment, taking hints from friends in kitchens, and frankly adding some fun to a really stodgy industry. And then we were off to the races to make it happen! With two years of hard work, we finally launched on January 11, 2022, with single-origin, never blended oil made with 100% Picual olives. It’s a varietal not available at scale in the U.S. It has the highest smoke point, the longest shelf stability, and free-acidic stability while cooking. Oh, and it’s incredibly delicious and powerful. Add all that to the squeeze bottle, and you’ve got the first and only olive oil company to bring the squeeze bottle format, and tool of choice by chefs, to the everyday consumer.

Brianna Plaza: Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the harm of single use plastics, whether to the environment or to their food. Beside the ease of use, what made plastic the superior choice over glass or aluminum? How do you ensure that the plastic bottles don’t affect the taste of the oil?

Andrew Benin: Squeeze bottles are fun, and Graza screams “Made to be used.” Olive oil is a stodgy, heritage category, and Graza is ready to shake it up and bring the heat. The proprietary squeeze bottle is a first-to-market offering inspired by the tools of our favorite chefs. Many culinary superstars transfer their oil to squeeze bottles themselves because it’s much easier to work with, but Graza is the first brand to sell it in this format to consumers. With freshness top of mind, Graza’s squeeze bottles are fully opaque to protect the integrity of the product. 

Graza bottles use post-consumer plastics and are 100% recyclable—simply separate the spout and bottle and add to your recycle pickup. 

Brianna Plaza: How do you think about sustainability with your plastic bottles?

Andrew Benin: Chefs have been using squeeze bottles in their kitchens for quite some time, and we think that life in the kitchen is a whole lot better with plenty of squeezing. That being said, our bottle does use post-consumer plastics and is 100% recyclable (just separate the spout and bottle and add to your recycling pickup). Also, we are firm believers that single-use packaging is not the long-term solution (be it plastic, glass, or ceramic) for all consumerism, and we are in the process of innovating exciting solutions to offer to our customers. 

Brianna Plaza: You have a cooking oil, but conventional wisdom holds that olive oil isn’t typically used for high-heat cooking. Can you walk me through the science behind your cooking oil and how it stands up to high-heat cooking?

Andrew Benin: We created an affordable, high-quality, and single-origin olive oil. Unlike other brands in the market that are either prohibitively expensive or low-quality and blended, we developed Graza because we are committed to providing the freshest olive oil at an accessible price, so anyone can make a delicious meal for themselves and their family. Because of its mellow flavor and higher smoke point, Sizzle can be used in a lot of different ways. Great for everyday cooking like roasting, searing, poaching, pan frying, baking, and marinating. We’re always serving up the absolute best, freshest, and tastiest oils, so just get squeezing! 

Brianna Plaza: The Graza branding stands out — especially among other olive oil brands — with quirky and fun packaging. How did you develop the brand? Did the idea for the brand come before the product or in tandem with the oil development?

Andrew Benin: My co-founder, Allen Dushi, and I realized that North America became the dumping ground of olive oil as brands are either prohibitively expensive and bougie or low-quality and blended. Graza is the answer to this problem with its price point, at most $20 per bottle. We’re on a mission to make never-blended, single-origin, and high-quality extra virgin oil more accessible and affordable for everyone. Graza is special, but it shouldn’t be. It should be the standard.

Brianna Plaza: Graza started as a direct to consumer brand, but you’re now available in stores. Was that always the plan? How do you scale your product and maintain quality as you expand availability?

Andrew Benin: Yes, we always wanted to be available in stores nationwide. 

Brianna Plaza: What comes next for the brand?

Andrew Benin: At Graza, we’re always cooking up fun and unique ways we can show up. Stay tuned, and make sure to follow us on Instagram @getgraza and subscribe to our newsletter for updates!