PORTLAND, Ore. – The famous Portland-based restaurant and charcuterie company Olympic Provisions has changed its name to Olympia Provisions in order to appease the International Olympic Committee, an employee confirmed.
The name change is already reflected on the company's website.
Opened in 2009, Olympic Provisions rose to fame due mostly to its European-style cured meats. The brand has since opened a second location in Northwest Portland, won multiple awards and its products are distributed across the country.
A spokesman for the company said the name Olympic Provisions came from the Olympic Cereal Mills building, the company's first location in Southeast Portland.
But a much larger organization has taken issue with the name – the International Olympic Committee. The IOC issued a cease-and-desist letter to the company in 2014.
At first, Olympic Provisions' owners thought the letter was a joke. But their lawyer said it wasn't, and the company was forced to change a letter in their name to appease the IOC.
"This small change in name is just a minor hurdle for our growing company, and we're focused on making the best meat in the nation," said Elias Cairo, Co-Owner and Head Salumist.
According to Eater.com, the company will be allowed to roll out the "Olympic" to "Olympia" change gradually, and in the meantime it will juts stamp an "a" where the "c" currently is. The branding change is expected to be completed by this summer.
Cairo said the company will not change its recipes or process of creating its products.
