Water & William Olive Oil opens in Cape Girardeau

Water & William Olive Oil Co., 105 William St. opened Friday, Dec. 9, in the River & Rails business development in downtown Cape Girardeau.

Owners Georgia and Todd Lowman said there is no secret about the origin of the name of the specialty business.

"We're on William Street where it intersects with Water Street," said Todd Lowman, noting a marketing firm came up with five branding possibilities but the notion of a geographic signpoint and proximity to the Mississippi River were ultimately persuasive.

The Lowmans came to Cape Girardeau, where one of their daughters attended Southeast Missouri State University and currently resides, after "retiring" a decades-old trucking business in June 2021 in Lincoln, Illinois.

"[Our] prime focus is bottled olive oil and balsamic vinegars," said Georgia Lowman, who said a typical customer will be a home cook.

The Lowmans say they are well aware of the storyline of the 1970-era "Godfather" films, in which the Corleone family were olive oil wholesalers.

"I've had several individuals remind me of [the movies] when we were putting this all together," said Todd with a chuckle.

Water & William exclusively uses a single supplier for the products it sells — family-owned Veronica Foods of Oakland, California.

"We'll do tastings if a customer is trying to make a decision," noting the olive oil and balsamic vinegars are bottled in four sizes: 750, 375, 200 or 60 milliliters.

Georgia said gift baskets are available as a grab-and-go for those making last-minute decisions before Christmas.

Healthy

"Olive oil is a monounsaturated fat, which is good for you, will help lower your cholesterol and will help with blood pressure and inflammation," Georgia said.

Operation

Water & William's normal days and hours, once the holidays are over, will be 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, but customers should check the business' Facebook page for extended hours during the Christmas-New Year season.

Reception

The Lowmans say they're pleased with the traffic they've seen in their store to-date.

"Quite honestly, when we finally launched on the ninth, by the next day, we were just like, 'Oh, my gosh,'" Georgia recalled.

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