Rishona Myers — owner of Jenkintown olive oil brand Olive Lucy — started out as just a casual fan of the brand, showing support for its founders. Lisa Dukart explained her transition into entrepreneurship in PHL INNO.

Olive Lucy — a portmanteau from the 1950s sitcom I Love Lucy — was a storefront business started by a Huntingdon Valley couple, friends of Myers’ husband.

When an illness left the brand without a lead in 2017, Myers bought it.

And wholly transformed it.

The traditional brick-and-mortar store was augmented by a brisk e-commerce model.

That sales approach led to the present location in Jenkintown, and the online/in-person traffic eventually rendered the flagship store superfluous.

She also widened the flavor profiles.

The olive oil product line now has more than two dozen varieties, infused with flavor profiles both traditional (basil, black garlic) and innovative (blood orange, butter).

In an interesting twist of fate, the pandemic only helped her grow.

“[People] realized that if they weren’t going to go out to eat, they would use better products,” she said, confirming that she had indeed positioned the Olive Lucy brand as desirable.

More on Olive Lucy is at PHL INNO.

_____

It’s almost impossible to think of I Love Lucy and Italian dishes and not recall this classic bit.