The Woman Behind the Olive Oil Company That Everyone’s Talking About

How a year’s worth of stomach pains turned into a category-disrupting product.

By Callie Schweitzer

Aishwarya Iyer of Brightland Olive Oil at her kitchen counter

Can you explain your company in a sentence?

Brightland is a new, modern kitchen essentials brand and the two hero products we launched with are handcrafted, California made, extra virgin olive oils.

You spent 10 years working in venture capital and startups before you founded Brightland in 2018. What was the most valuable thing you learned from those experiences that you were able to incorporate into launching your own business?

The most valuable thing is being comfortable with discomfort and being comfortable with the unknown. Those fall part and parcel. It’s key to get comfortable with that and not rely on knowing exactly where things are going to be a week from now, a month from now, or a year from now — even if you have a well devised plan. You have to put yourself in that mental space because that’s exactly where you’re going to be 24/7 when you start your own business.

You’ve managed to make olive oil sexy, which is really no small task. How did people in your professional sphere react when you told them about the idea?

People are looking for companies that have soul, authenticity, and charm. The majority of the olive oil that Americans consume is rancid, rotten or adulterated. Olive oil has a very scandalous history — the Mafia’s involved, and there are a lot of layers to it. Ultimately, it’s food and it’s emotional. Food is a very deep part of our lives so I think people are really excited that there’s a brand that is creating emotion and intention in a space that doesn’t have any.