Bianti Danaj
Founding story
Hi,
My name is Bianti Danaj, the founder of Donika Olive Oil.
I never imagined that a childhood in Albania would lead me to a small college on the Eastern Shore of Maryland where I would be inspired to start an olive oil brand, but you know the saying: weirder things have happened. Let’s start from the beginning.
Growing up in Albania, I was surrounded by the freshest fish from the Adriatic, the purest salt from the Ionian, and amazing poultry and produce – all staples of the Mediterranean diet. My childhood also included the rolling hills adorned with Kalinjot olive trees, where I learned the ancient craft of olive oil production from local farmers.
In 2016, I moved to the United States to pursue a swimming career, in Florida. I was Albania’s national champion in swimming many times over, and took gold home from Balkan Championships too. I was by myself, and when it came to trying to fend for myself in the U.S. I was, to put lightly, appalled by the chemically processed and fake foods that plagued the grocery stores. I came to the United States to be a competitive swimmer – how could I fuel myself to be the best with ultra processed foods and inflammatory seed oils?
Most of the “Extra Virgin Olive Oils” I saw and tried lacked taste, aroma, and were entirely mislabeled. There were a few times that I got my hands on a few high-phenolic olive oils, but was turned away by their extreme flavor profile and bitterness. I was only a kid, but even I knew something was wrong.
Skip to 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, I began to cook and take care of myself not in a Boarding School setting. Not knowing where I could find a real extra virgin olive oil in the United States left me confused and upset. On top of that,a newfound interest in research told me that a high-phenolic olive oil was the purest form of antioxidants that could prevent and treat chronic disease. With people close to me falling ill to cancer, I knew that the U.S. diet could be entirely changed by one product. That is what the people in my life deserved. With these motivators combined, I got to work.
During this time, I was attending Washington College, a small liberal arts college on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. As a graduation requirement, seniors were mandated to create a capstone thesis project. The entirety of a business plan was pulled together under strict guidelines that perfected the ideas and inspirations behind Donika Olive Oil, with the help of my well-experienced and incredible advisors. Once laid out in front of me, I knew this was much too big a project to spearhead on my own. I needed a team.
Heading home to Albania, I met with Bruno Musa, an incredible olive oil producer from my home city. We worked tirelessly to create a product that put Albanian culture at its core. We already knew that the Kalinjot olive would produce its own magical and highly unique taste, but we wanted to do more. It was obvious there was only one man for the job, which is why we brought Mendim Baçaj, agronomist, into the Donika Olive Oil Team. With 40+ years of experience, Mendim specializes in olive cultivation and is a master at understanding weather patterns and the metabolic responses that are responsible for polyphenol counts in olive fruits. It was with these people that we created Donika Premium Organic EVOO – an oil so tasty, and high in polyphenols, we could hardly believe it ourselves.
Returning back to Washington College in my final semester, I knew that we had to put my head down and work, though I knew many of my colleagues had a different perspective for the final months ahead. My partner, Grace Kelley and I, another Washington College student, knew these next few months had to really count. School was my day job, but Donika Olive Oil consumed every other second of my time in Maryland when I wasn’t exploring all of the glorious natural food stores in Chestertown. Grace and I were able to get Donika off the ground by February 2024, we were holding tasting events and exhibiting at the largest food trade show in North America. Neither of us had either done anything like this, but we were driven by pure passion. Our weekends were spent at the library, sending emails and getting our marketing off the ground. By the end of the school year, we were proudly placed in Modern Stone Age Kitchen (Chestertown,MD), Out of the Fire (Easton, MD), and The Olive Groove (Grass Valley, CA).
By producing with time-honored methods, and producing in small batches, we are able to create meaningful EVOO, packed with medicinal properties, and keeping it away from the harmful effects of oxidation. We specialize in freshness and are proud to promote that only bottle when the order is placed.
Of course, this requires meticulous work from expert farmers, which is why we partner with families and producers across South Albania to get the job done. We require that olive trees and their fruits are treated with the highest quality care. As the first of its kind in Albania, this collaboration ensures the hard working natives receive their benefits justly. We are excited to be contributing to the betterment of hundreds of Albanians’ lives, while helping you live a longer, happier, more tasteful life.
