Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna Marcopoulos Minnetian.
Anna, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Dirty Tony’s story goes back to the early 90’s when my dad started bottling his olive juice. My dad had been in the olive business in New York City for many decades and decided to move to Houston in the 1980s to start a Greek and Italian specialty foods company. After repeated requests by friends for olive juice to use in Martinis and Bloody Marys, he concluded it was time to bottle it and officially offer it to others. And that’s how Dirty Tony’s started.
Dirty Tony’s remained a small part of the larger Houston based food company my family had started and owned for thirty years. In 2017, I decided to take over the Dirty Tony’s branch. My father had passed away about ten years prior, and I was always a fan and strong believer in Dirty Tony’s Olive Juice and knew it had so much potential to grow into something even bigger. Since 2017, we have expanded our market in the US and have even gone abroad to countries such as Germany and Japan. We have also increased our line and now carry premium Queen stuffed Pimento olives and Blue Cheese olives.
Keeping to my dad’s gratitude to Houstonians, Dirty Tony’s products are still made and packaged right here in the greater Houston area!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Business is never a smooth road and it is certainly not for the thin-skinned. When Dirty Tony’s Olive Juice came out in the 90s it was the only one on the market. Since it was not a key part of our family business, it took a backseat and only sold through word of mouth. Eventually, other companies started popping up selling olive juice, one even claiming to be the original. But Dirty Tony’s quality is far superior, as our customers know, so we are confident others will notice and appreciate the difference too. I’ll address those differences in a bit…
Other obstacles have been quite typical of any company…never enough time to get everything you want done, challenges with finding vendors willing to work with your quirky needs, hiccups in keeping up with social media, and dealing with warehouse issues, inventory and shipping. I have been extremely fortunate to have my brother help me with all aspects of the business. Plus, it is a huge advantage to have someone you trust to brainstorm with, bounce ideas off of, and even be brutally honest when necessary—little brothers are great at that!
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Dirty Tony’s is very proud of the quality of our products. The key difference between us and other companies selling olive juice is that many are not “olive people”. Our competitors do things like add additional ingredients to their olive juice, completely destroying the olive flavor. We have noticed that many also water down their olive juice causing customers to use more products and subsequently dilute their drinks. And why would anyone want to drink a watered-down version of a Martini, Bloody Mary or Michelada? What really shocks me is that many companies even brag about filtering their products—hence removing the true olive flavor. Dirty Tony’s is real, concentrated olive brine and it is UNfiltered, so a good shake and a little shot of it is all you need!
As for our cocktail olives, we use premium Queen olives which are the nice big, juicy kind. Our olives are top quality–firm and not mushy, a beautiful green color, and full of flavor.
Lastly, we are super proud to use as many American-made items as possible when manufacturing our products. We use vendors in the Houston area for virtually everything. Dirty Tony’s is very grateful to have started in Houston and still be based out of this great city. A big THANK YOU to Houston!
What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was painfully shy, very active and a perfectionist to a fault. The business world has certainly forced me to overcome much of my shyness! I am sure people who know me now are laughing at this as they read it. But let’s face it, a shy businesswoman is not going to get very far. You have to be able to stand up for yourself, and call people out when necessary and when the time is right. Of course, being active and energetic has served me well. As for being a perfectionist, yes, it is good in some aspects of business, but I have had to adjust to going with the flow a lot more. Learning not to get hung up on some small, insignificant details but tackling larger more imminent issues first–I am still working on this.
As for interests, I have always loved good food and various cuisines. My dad was a complete foodie and my mom a great cook. It has really shaped me to be a bit of a health nut as an adult.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.dirty-tonys.com
- Email: info@dirty-tonys.com
- Instagram: @dirtytonys
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/dirtytonysolivejuice
- Twitter: @DirtyTonys
- Other: Dirty Tony’s LLC
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