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Bari Olive Oil in Dinuba, CA held its fourth annual Olive Oil Festival earlier this month, attracting hundreds of visitors to its plant. They were offered a full menu of oils for tasting, snacks and treats, and tours of the processing facility, all free.
Colorful road signs beside nearby roads and highways directed visitors to the Bari plant, where employees greeted them at brightly decorated display tables that featured dozens of olive oil products in an variety of attractive bottles and containers. The hosts answered questions about the features and taste distinctions of the several olive varieties used by Bari to produce its assortment of oils.
Only a few weeks before Thanksgiving, the lineup of gift baskets appealed to many of the visitors as holiday gifts.
Next on the calendar at Bari is its Christmas Boutique, beginning November 29 and continuing each Saturday from 9 AM to 3 PM through December 20. The road signs and plant décor will be re-established to take advantage of the festive seasonal atmosphere.
Brooke Garrison, one of the festival coordinators, said the turnout equaled last year’s occasion, but sales of the gift baskets and other attractive items exceeded the 2013 occasion substantially.