Taste Oil Vinegar Spice

“Taste Oil Vinegar Spice is dedicated to providing only the highest quality ingredients to enhance your favorite dishes and bring out the best flavors of nature’s bounty. At Taste, we believe that ‘Fresh trumps everything.’ That’s is why we offer only the freshest olive oils and organic spices from around the world, complimented by the most flavorful balsamic vinegars imported from Modena, Italy.”

This statement highlights the home page of Taste Oil Vinegar Spice which is located on East Davis St. in Culpeper, VA.

The owners, George Farrar and his spouse Janet Davis, are both retired Navy veterans. After second careers, they moved to Amissville, VA, and decided to start their own business. The idea for the oil, vinegar, and spice shop came to them during visits to Maine and Paris where they wandered into shops sampling vinegars and oils.

George and Janet first visited the Lord Fairfax SBDC at Culpeper in the summer of 2011 to pitch their idea and to get information and advice on what they should do as far as registering with the federal, state, and local jurisdictions. At the meeting they expressed interest in securing financing through SBA’s Patriot Express Loan program. Ultimately, they decided to self fund the start-up costs and initial operating expenses from their personal savings.

They opened the Culpeper store in October, 2011, and the response was so overwhelming that by early spring of 2012 they had repaid their savings accounts and made plans to open a second store in Fredericksburg, VA.

Today, the product uniqueness of the two stores attracts a healthy clientele. The stores employ seven part-time staff in addition to George and Janet.