RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – Vita Sana Olive Oil Company in downtown Rapid City has been open for more than 10 years.
Owner Casey VanVleck’s parents originally opened the store after her dad read a book on the olive oil industry.
“He came across the book, read it, and was like no wonder I feel like junk, I’m putting junk in my body, and I’m getting junk in return,” VanVleck said. “So, he set out to supply the best of the best.”
That’s when he came across a third-generation Italian family.
“They’ve done this for over 100 years,” VanVleck explained. “They own groves, they own processing, they test everything, and we get to pick what we bring in from them.”
Now, VanVleck owns Vita Sana Olive Oil Company in Rapid City and Casper, Wyoming.
“My dad called me and said, ‘You should just buy the business, buy the business!’” VanVleck said. “I was like that’s not where I saw my life going and honestly, I wouldn’t change it.”
The store sells a variety of olive oil and balsamic vinegars.
“We also have gourmet spices and teas, jams and pastas, but our main focus is high-quality extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegars,” VanVleck detailed.
Between the oil and vinegar, VanVleck says, “in stock at any given time we have over 60 now.”
VanVleck said they wanted to be a one-stop shop.
“You could have everything that you needed minus the proteins or the veggies in one place,” VanVleck continued.
Vita Sana Olive Oil Company also sells a variety of spices.
“So, we have chimichurri and garam masala, those types of things,” VanVleck said. “We also have, of course, your cinnamon, your basil, those ones. But our goal was to always, you know, supply things that were really hard to come by, so people didn’t have to order it online.”
One thing VanVleck says she wants people to leave the store with is, “the knowledge to make the choices to buy better quality products. I want them to know and understand what’s going into their food.”
The store lets you sample the oils before you buy it.
“I don’t ever want anybody leaving our store without having tasted to ensure that they love that product,” VanVleck said.
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