Living the Dream: Nate Bradley of Amphora Nueva
Nate Bradley, proprietor of Amphora Nueva, the olive oil and vinegar store in the Market Place is Castro Valley through and through. He graduated from Castro Valley parent Nursery School, Chabot Elementary, Canyon and Castro Valley High School (’04) and after college, even worked as a substitute teacher in Castro Valley. His parents still live here.
Nate’s parents own Veronica Foods, one of the oldest family-owned wholesale olive oil companies in the United States. They supply over 900 independent stores with their olive oils and vinegars. Nate never planned to go into the family business, but one day his dad asked him if he’d be interested in demoing some of their products in a recently opened grocery store in Oakland. Naturally gregarious and a teacher at heart, Nate enjoyed himself.
One demo led to another, and soon Nate was thinking about opening his own shops. In 2013, he and his sister opened Amphora Nueva in Berkeley, 2 years later Nate opened stores in Lafayette, Castro Valley in 2021, and Danville just a few months ago. Married with a sixteen-month-old baby, Nate says, “I’ve promised my wife, four shops will do it!”
When Nate heard about the Market Place coming to Castro Valley, he wanted to be part of the collective vision. He felt, “It was important to me to have our family’s products for sale here and to educate the community about the benefits of fresh olive oil.” His CV Marketplace location is about one tenth the size of his other stores. The smaller square footage was a challenge, but it has worked to the customers’ advantage as Nate says it features many of his favorites! Tastings of the oils and vinegars are encouraged, and the well-trained staff is eager and willing to share.
The name Amphora came about after a collective brainstorming effort with the family. Amphorae are the ancient two-handled ceramic containers with a pointed bottom. They were used to store olive oil and found as early as the Neolithic Era. All the shops have examples of these beautiful pots. Nate has traveled the world, to find the freshest and highest quality olive oils from both hemispheres. Amphora often partners with top farms in Spain, California, Italy, Portugal, Tunisia, Greece, Chile, Australia, South Africa, and even Croatia.
Veronica Foods buys over one half million gallons of ultra-premium extra virgin olive oil a year. Nate enthusiastically explains, “I never get tired of talking about the benefits of our olive oil.” Among other topics, customers learn about polyphenols (antioxidant value), the correct container for olive oil storage, and what oil to use for high heat.
Nate will be teaching his “Olive Oil 101” class in Castro Valley at the Center for the Arts April 26 at 7:30pm. Tickets are available: cvartsfoundation.org or 510 889-8961 Nate regularly partners with local schools and foundations to aid in their fundraising efforts.