What kind of entrepreneur looks at the Texas heat and says, “Let’s grow olives”? Jim Henry, that’s who. In this episode of The Brand ON Show, Brandon Coleman Jr sits down with the founder of Texas Olive Ranch—a man who ignored every expert, defied the climate, and built a bold, honest brand from the dirt up. From frozen trees to adulterated markets, Jim’s story is a masterclass in grit, family legacy, and brand integrity. If you’re building something the world says can’t work, this one’s for you. Tune in, take notes, and turn your Brand ON!————Ask Brandon ANY Question!https://www.brandoncolemanjr.com/brand-on/#indexOrder Brand ON! The Bookhttps://www.brandoncolemanjr.com/order-book/————Connect and Follow Brandon Coleman JrEmail: [email protected]: www.brandoncolemanjr.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandoncolemanjr/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@brandoncolemanjrofficialFacebook: www.facebook.com/officialbrandoncolemanjr ————Connect and Follow Jim HenryJim Henry is the founder and CEO of Texas Olive Ranch, a pioneering olive oil producer in Texas. With a background in international buying for Pier One and previously owning an air conditioning business, Jim transitioned to agriculture by establishing a 67-acre olive ranch with 40,000 olive trees near Laredo. Despite challenging Texas climate conditions, he persevered in creating a successful olive oil brand that now supplies major retailers like HEB and Kroger. A descendant of Wisconsin dairy farmers, Jim has been instrumental in developing Texas's olive oil industry, working closely with Texas A&M University and the Department of Agriculture. His commitment to producing "honest olive oil" and maintaining high-quality standards has made Texas Olive Ranch a respected name in the culinary world.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-henry-5617637 Website: https://texasoliveranch.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/txoliveranch Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/texasoliveranch ————Transcript (with chapter marks)00:03:25 Strength in DefianceJim Henry: It's the strength of the brand, the name, Texas, and then Olive Ranch. It's difficult to grow olives in Texas because it's not like the San Joaquin Valley or the Mediterranean. We don't have the ideal weather, but I just felt strongly that Texas should have an olive industry.00:12:40 Never Give UpJim Henry: You just can't give up. I think ranchers and farmers are the world's biggest optimists, because they deal with the weather, they deal with pricing, they deal with tariffs, they have to walk all kinds of things. So, you know, it's just fortitude and determination.00:17:25 Insane OptimismJim Henry: Then we had to decide whether to be either bigger or give up on the project. And like an insane person, I went out and bought the ranch and planted 40,000 trees. I can't really tell you exactly why, but I thought it would work. I just thought it would work, and then it did. And it worked really, really well for 10, 12 years until we started having weather issues.00:24:55 Real Extra Virgin Olive OilJim Henry: There's virgin olive oil. Which really isn't very good. And then there's Lamantea or cooking oil, which is terrible. And so there really is only one extra virgin olive oil. But just as a side note, if you take extra virgin olive oil and you flavor it, you've adulterated the oil. So basically, you can no longer call it extra virgin.00:26:40 Promise Wrapped in a DeliveryJim Henry: You just can't put a bad product out, or you're not going to have a good reputation, so we're very careful about what we put in our bottles.00:37:35 Be Brand ON!Brandon Coleman Jr.: Out of all the clients that call us in over the years, they didn't call us because they were failing. That happened very few times. People called us in, Jim, because they said, we just know there's so much more here, and we're not maximizing our potential. 

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