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FEATURED VENDOR: Oly's Oats
This week, TFM News reporter Leigh Ann Tatnall spoke with Oly's Oats.
TFM: How long have you been in business?
OO: Oly's Oats was launched at the Brookfield farmers' market nine years ago, and we expanded into the Tosa market in 2009.
TFM: Where is your business located?
OO: My office is in my home in Elm Grove, but the mill that we source our grain from is in Cochrane, WI, a community of not quite 500 located roughly 45 miles north of La Crosse, off WI Route 35, the "Great River
Road" on the Wisconsin side, in what is called the "Hiawatha Valley." The mill was founded by my wife's great-uncle, Jay Martin.
TFM: What products do you offer?
OO: We market steel-cut oats (the fastest-growing category of "cooking oats"), along with regular rolled oats (often called "old-fashioned"), quick-cooking rolled oats, oat bran, gourmet granola, and fruit crisp topping mix.
TFM: What makes your products unique?
OO: Grain must be warmed before milling, as this softens the grain and facilitates the milling process. We are the ONLY MILL in the US to do this with steam-infusion, as opposed to a dry-heat process other mills employ. As a result our oats have a far superior natural oat taste compared with traditional brands. Also, our oats are usually at the area farm markets within 30 days of being milled, whereas commercial brands are 60-120 days from mill-to-market, and often even longer. The best testimony of our products' uniqueness is a common refrain we hear from ALL customers we've been privileged to serve: "These are not ordinary oats, and I will not purchase any other than Oly's."
TFM: What do you like about working with the TFM?
OO: Great location, committed staff, friendly and cooperative.
TFM: Where else do you sell besides the TFM?
OO: Bay View (South Shore market); Brookfield, Oconomowoc, South Milwaukee (for now), and a personalized "I Love My Customer" program that will bring ME to YOU at a time/place of your convenience. If you become my customer, I will do anything within reason to keep you as my customer, so if in doubt, just ask!!!
TFM: How can people contact you?
TFM: Is there anything else you would like people to know?
OO: When I began selling my products in 2002 made a simple promise to any customer: "If you don't agree that Oly's Oats products are the best you have ever experienced, please come back to the market and say, "Oly, I don't agree." I will refund your full purchase price without hesitation. Nine years, and several thousand customers later, I have yet to be asked for a refund.
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