Athena's Gift Local, an olive oil store run by Anne Piccirillo and tucked in off Main Street, is more than just a shop—it’s a celebration of one woman’s passion for liquid gold and the culture that surrounds it.
Piccirillo, the store’s founder, sits in her shop under the warm glow of string lights. Her olive oils, shimmer under the warm lights, arranged on the tables like a vibrant palette of greens and golds waiting for an artist’s touch.
Piccirillo’s journey to olive oil doesn’t begin here in Newman or even in California. It starts years ago, on the island of Crete, when she was stationed there during her time in the Air Force.
"I didn’t realize it at the time," she says, leaning back, "but olive oil was their everything. Butter? That was like a luxury item to them." She chuckles at the memory. "The Mediterranean diet—it’s all olive oil. They used it for everything."
Years later, back in California, Piccirillo stumbled across an article about two brothers in Marin County who gathered olives from backyard trees to press into oil. It sparked something in her—a curiosity that would evolve into a calling. "I thought, 'I want to do this.' I didn’t need much land, maybe an acre or two." But in the Bay Area, even a modest plot of land was a pipe dream. She tucked the idea away for another day.
Life rolled on. Piccirillo married, had a daughter, and moved to the Central Valley with her husband. They found a property that came with six acres of walnut trees. The walnuts didn’t last long. "We took them out and planted olive trees. Little baby ones," she says, her eyes twinkling at the memory. That was in 1999. By 2003, the trees were established, and by 2005, they had their first harvest.
The early days were humble. Piccirillo and her crew harvested the olives by hand, wearing cherry-picking buckets strapped around their necks. She laughs, recalling the aching muscles and long hours. "We’d bring in a crew from Firebaugh. They’d knock it out in about two weeks."
Her olives traveled to Nick Sciabica of Sciabica’s California Olive Oil in Modesto for pressing, and it was there Piccirillo found not competition, but a community. "Nick mentored me the whole way," she says with gratitude. He even called her to talk through the nuances of her oil. Piccirillo explains that, like wine grapes, olive varieties have distinct characteristics. "We’ve got Mission olives—some of the oldest in California, brought here by Spanish missionaries in the 1700s," she shares. "Each variety produces a different flavor profile. It’s an art."
Out on the Gustine homestead, the grove is a mosaic of olive varieties, each row planted with purpose and personality. There are the Mission olives—hefty, round, and steeped in California history, brought to the region centuries ago by Spanish missionaries. Next come the Leccino olives, a popular choice for their robust flavor. And then, as Piccirillo puts it, her husband “went a little crazy” and decided to add Moraiolo olives to the mix. “They’re soft and lemony,” she says with a smile, as if fondly indulging a quirky yet brilliant idea. Frantoio trees stand nearby, known for their grassy, crisp flavor, while the Ascochinos boast versatility—perfect for either table use or pressing into a buttery, nutty oil.
The grove is as much a story of family collaboration as it is a commitment to quality. Piccirillo recalls how she divided the property with her husband. “I said, ‘I’ll take five acres for the olives, and you can do whatever you want with the rest,’” she laughs. To Piccirillo, the grove, (which she prefers to call an orchard) is more than rows of trees; it’s a harmonious system where variety meets natural science. The wind sweeping in from the northwest serves as an unseen hand, pollinating the rows with precision. “I set it up so one pollinator tree is surrounded by five females, and the wind does the rest,” she explains. Years of trial and error shaped this design, her expertise rooted as deeply as the trees themselves.
Harvest season brings its own rhythm, dictated by nature and the subtle signals of the olives. Piccirillo describes how the fruit transitions through shades of green, red, purple, and finally black, marking its stages of ripening. "We start with the Leccino olives," she says, explaining how their early readiness seems to send a silent signal to the other trees to follow suit. “It’s like some kind of hormone gets released—by the time we finish with one variety, the others are perfectly ripe, almost like they were waiting their turn.” Piccirillo seeks a careful balance in her harvests, ensuring a mix of ripeness levels to create oils with diverse flavor profiles—some grassy and bright, others mellow and buttery.
Today, Athena's Gift Local carries a blend of oils—some from Sciabica’s, others from small-batch producers across California, including Patterson and balsamic vinegars. "There’s so much amazing agriculture here," she says. "I want to feature oils from these smaller orchards. It’s unique and supports local farmers."
The shop is open from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday. In addition to the olive oils, the shop carries some of Piccirillo’s handmade soaps, sundries, linens and shirts. The shop is located at 1335 Main Street Suite 102. The products are also available online at Athenasgiftlocal.com and she ships all over the continental United States.
For Piccirillo, olive oil is more than a pantry staple—it’s history, culture, and sustenance bottled up in a golden-green glow. And through Athena's Gift Local, she’s sharing that gift with her community, one drop at a time.
