A Crusty Baguette & Portuguese Olive Oil: A UPS Guy’s Perfect Snack

My recent series of posts have shown why importing wine is the best and most beautiful job in the entire world. I’ve received many comments from friends saying, “Wow! I’ve read your blog, and you’ve had an incredible summer!” While true, I feel the need to bring to light the day-to-day realities of our business. When I’m particularly ‘centered’, I see that our daily happenings are just as exhilarating as driving the steep slops of the Douro . During other more ‘human’ moments, they land somewhere between infuriating and mundane, but oddly enough, they are always amusing.

Take, for example, Ryan’s recent trip to our neighborhood UPS store. Ryan mails samples of wine across the country weekly to prospective customers. The law requires that any box containing alcohol must be signed for by someone over 21 years old. UPS charges a hefty fee for that service, thus increasing our weekly shipping costs. But for us, this isn’t a problem. We budget for it.

Last week, Ryan attempted to mail two bottles of Portuguese olive oil (Elemental Olive Oil? Who knows?). The box looked like the right shape for wine. It had the correct weight for wine. And Ryan’s account showed past shipments of wine…so the shop owner took it upon himself to grill Ryan about the box’s content.

“What’s in the box?” asked the UPS shop owner.
“Olive oil,” responded Ryan.
“So there’s no wine in there?”
“No, Sir.”
The shop owner lifted the box. “So…no wine whatsoever?”
“No,” Ryan answered.
Not satisfied he pressed, “But you always send wine. Why are you now sending olive oil?”
“Because I have people who want to try the olive oil.”
Still skeptical, “So you’re only now deciding to send the same size and weight of box with olive oil rather than wine, thus making your shipment cheaper?”
“Yes.”
“Really? No wine?”
“Really.”
“Ummmff…OK, then.”

Ryan later told me that he wished he brought a nice crusty baguette along so that UPS guy could have tasted the oil before he shipped it. It would have shortened the conversation, and who knows? The UPS guy could’ve had a brother who retails olive oil!

Luckily, Ryan saw his package make it on the UPS truck. It was delivered in the end.