Every Saturday, the Orange Grove farmers market in Sydney’s inner west is renowned for showcasing some of the best organic produce.
Since 2010, a small olive stand has been gaining notoriety.
“They’re unmatchable,” says one regular.
Mo Amin and his mother Adila began selling olives after finding a gap in a market dominated by cheap imports.
“I was in fourth-year university when I accidentally discovered the markets," says Mo.
Molives regularly has an olive stall at Orange Grove Markets where the concept for the business first began. Source: SBS
“Mum was there from day one, her passion for food translated to me.”
Mo’s parents and three brothers fled war-torn Baghdad in 1997 when he was 11 years old.
“It was all abrupt," he says.
“My parents left Iraq with hardly anything and one mission, to find a safe home and future for their children."
The humanitarian support Mo's family received from Australia left a strong impact on him.
“My parents lost everything, so I needed to live a journey that is really meaningful and worthwhile,” he says.
During his time at the markets, he began developing a bond with Australian farmers.
Mo Amin with his parents at Orange Grove Market Source: SBS
After completing his engineering degree, he realised he wanted to stay in the olive business.
“I wanted to do something more than just a job or make my parents proud. I wanted to give something back to my new home."
“So I went on a solo mission with $1,500 to take the olive industry from international companies back to home,” he says.
Understandably, an entrepreneurial path wasn’t well received by his father, Safaa.
“He was an engineer and spent all that time to come here, so it was like ‘go get a secure job’," says Mo.
“I just wanted my sons to be better than me,” says Safaa.
But Mo remained determined to revolutionise the Australian olive industry and help farmers.
It took four years to perfect the Molives pouch and a mountain of personal and financial challenges.
Mo Amin being shown through one of the local olive farms that supply his business. Source: Supplied: Molives
“It was tough,” admits Mo.
His brother Ibby, a mechanical engineer, modified the packaging machine to ensure the product’s uniqueness and maintain high olive preservation.
But the marinating process, which is all manually done, remains arduous.
“We have to keep the hand element otherwise it loses quality and becomes mainstream,” Mo says.
With demand now growing for their gourmet Australian olives, Mo says the risks and sacrifices have all been worth it.
“Getting Australian olives on board an airline is huge for us, because it’s such a competitive business,” he says.
The Molives brand is now planning to launch in Asia, with a new concept – olive popcorn.
“There are dried prunes, dried veggies and chips in the market, so it was like: ‘Can we dry olives?’” he says.
“We know the international market is quite huge and olive popcorn came in mind. It sort of gives a new dimension to olives."
Success abroad will also spell more good news for local farmers.
“Farmers are amazing and actually Australian olive growers are some of the best in the world.”
