photo courtesy of Coccinella
Nestled in between 50th & France's Paper Source and Fashion Ave. sits Coccinella, a store dedicated to bringing the "Mediterranean experience" to the land of 10,000 lakes.
After moving to the Twin Cities from Turkey (with their sons, Umut and Cosku) husband and wife Suayip and Seher Kaplan opened up Coccinella in December 2018, bringing authentic Turkish olive oil and home goods to the Twin Cities.
The store is named after the scarlet ladybug (Coccinella literally means "ladybug" in Latin). "Ladybugs are essential to keep a robust environment, and olive oils are essential for the vitality of our bodies," says Umut Kaplan, son of Suayip and Seher, who helps out in the shop. each bottle is produced by the Kaplan family and goes through a meticulous process to ensure its maintains its health benefits.
photo courtesy of Coccinella
Items on a shelf in a store
In addition to olive oil, you will find a variety of other Mediterranean goods and multifunctional pieces that accommodate beautiful, everyday living—think: Italian and Spanish vinegars, Turkish cotton textiles (robes, throws, towels and scarves) and handmade home goods like ceramics and glassware. "I call what we carry functional art," says Kaplan. "You can use our olive oil until its gone and repurpose the bowl as a piece of art for your home." Umut's mother, Seher, travels back home regularly to look at new merchandise for the store.
While the Kaplans plan to launch the e-commerce side of the business soon, customers can shop the worldly selection in-store. "We are currently trying to build other partnerships with other stores around Minnesota and look forward to growing our wholesale strategy," Kaplan says. 4946 France Ave. S., Edina, coccinellastore.com.
