MEEKER | Meeker “foodies” and dedicated home chefs can breathe a little easier — Off the Olive Branch will remain in business under new ownership following the announcement in May that longtime residents and store owners Jerry and Julianne Belland were moving to Florida. The shop, which provides specialty flavored cooking oils and vinegars, as well as other food and cooking items, opened in May 2021 and has developed a loyal clientele.
For owner Julianne Belland, the shop was a combination of having access to the location (the Bellands own the building at 317 E. Market), a desire to provide niche cooking items, and a venue for the Highland Beef Shop, which is the Bellands’ grass-fed, locally finished beef. The ensuing three years have been a family operation and a labor of love. When the Bellands made plans to relocate to Florida, Julianne decided to sell the store instead of closing the doors.
The Stone family — Alexis, Matt, Aria and Gabriel — “stumbled upon Meeker and fell in love with the town” while visiting and bought a house in 2019 with plans to move once Aria and Gabriel graduated from high school in Denver.
Alexis works full-time as a software product manager, working 80-85% remotely. Matt is a personal trainer and fitness instructor. Gabriel is still in high school. When Aria graduated in 2023, she and her boyfriend, Nik, left Denver and settled into Meeker full-time. She is pursuing a criminal justice degree at Colorado Mountain College and he is working for Ducey’s Electric.
Off the Olive Branch was a welcome attraction for the Stones. Alexis is a certified sommelier who loves to cook. The whole family cooks and Aria enjoys baking.
“We’ve always wanted to move to a small town. The biggest problem was finding some of the stuff in the city. This was a draw for me,” Alexis said.
When they saw that the Bellands were selling the shop, they took another step toward being fully grafted into the community they’ve adopted as home: business ownership.
Aria will manage the store when Alexis is in Denver for work, much as Julianne’s daughters Haylee Snyder and Sophie Belland have done over the years, keeping the store open when Julianne needed to be away. Sophie even altered the course of her nursing career to assist with the store, keeping the shop running when family obligations might have forced its closure otherwise.
There will be a brief transition period in July with reopening anticipated sometime in August, Alexis said, depending on how long it takes to complete all the required paperwork and licensing agreements. Customers can expect much of the same products with a few changes. “The staples are staying,” she added.
