Women’s History Month: Spotlight on Deborah Rogers of The Olive Press

Posted by Olivia on Thu, March 07, 2013

During March the entire nation observes Women’s History Month, and sunny California is no exception! All month long Sonoma is celebrating with Girlfriend’s Getaway Month, and here at The Olive Press we’re partaking in the activities—read about them here!

Throughout the month of March we’ll also be sharing with you the stories behind some of the fabulous women we know and work with. The first woman in our feature series is our very own Deborah Rogers, although locals may know her better as the “Olive Queen.”

Rogers, the Managing Partner of The Olive Press, has staked her ground as a leading woman in the international world of olive oil production. She’s one of the first women in the U.S. to have become a Master Olive Oil Miller, and she was named Producer of the Year by the Olive Oil Times in 2010. We could be here all day listing her accomplishments spanning the 13 years she’s been leading The Olive Press, so instead we’ll just look at the good she’s done in the last year alone!

In 2012, The Olive Press was named one of the 10 Best Places to Buy EVOO in the World by the Olive Oil Times, no easy feat if you are an olive oil producer competing in the international marketplace. But the impassioned work ethic that Rogers puts behind her extra virgin olive oil speaks for itself: Last year our olive oils took 28 medals including 2 Best of Shows, 2 Best of Class, and 7 Gold Medals—continuing Rogers’ reign as the producer of the nation's most highly awarded olive oil.

Rogers’ respect among her peers even earned her a place at the nation’s capital last year, when she was invited to the launch of the Diplomatic Culinary Partnership Initiative at the State Department in Washington DC. Rogers attended on behalf of The Olive Press, supplying extra virgin olive oil for participating chefs in the momentous occasion.

Industry leaders aren’t the only ones to take notice of Rogers. In 2012 The Olive Press was featured on the front page of Food and Wine in the Sunday edition of the San Francisco Chronicle, Live Well Network, CBS News, Shape Magazine, and Edible Magazine. Since being featured in journalist Tom Mueller’s book Extra Virginity, and the Buyer’s Guide on his popular website Truth in Olive Oil, we’ve been receiving a great deal of positive media attention! It’s because of Rogers’ scrutiny to detail and demand for top-quality standards that The Olive Press continues to receive high marks in the public. We’re known to be a consistently exceptional olive oil producer—and that’s because we have a consistently exceptional leader.

As the 2012 harvest season comes to a close, we look back on the last year of continued success with earnest gratitude to Deborah Rogers, our fearless leading woman behind the magic that takes place at The Olive Press.

To learn more about Rogers and her tenure with The Olive Press, read our full article here.