The Story of Papa Spyros Olive Oil
The koroneiki olive, a small variety native to Greece, is known to be one of the best in the world for making olive oil. In the small village of Makriskia, Greece near ancient Olympia, there is a 20-acre grove lled with nearly 500 koroneiki olive trees that has been in the Giannopoulos family for generations. Trees range in age from 15 to 300 years old. Each year, Anna and Peter Giannopoulos travel from North Branford, Connecticut to their ancestral homeland in Greece to harvest fresh olives that they press into 100% extra virgin olive oil. The family picks the olives when they are still green before they fully ripen. is allows them to produce high quality olive oil rich in polyphenols, powerful antioxidants that can have health benefits.
The story of Papa Spyros Olive Oil began long ago. In the early 1900s, Nikolaos Giannopoulos travelled from Greece to live in the United States. Two of his seven children were born in the United States, but sadly, one was hit by a car. Fortunately, the child was not permanently injured, and an insurance settlement enabled Nikolaos to purchase the 20-acre olive grove in Makriskia. Nikolaos returned to Greece with his family. After WWII ended, civil war broke out in Greece. ose with American citizenship were able to leave the country because of the war.
Nikolaos’ son, Spyros Giannopoulos, came to the United States in 1954 where he started his culinary career at the Tap Hotel in New Haven. He began as a hardworking dishwasher. Then one day, he experienced a kairos moment: the cooking team was short on help, so they called him up to start learning how to cook. From there, he excelled. He was able to have his son Angelo and the rest of his family join him in America. Angelo grew up in the restaurant and later bought Nick’s Place in Madison in 1986 which he still owns to this day. e name was kept as an homage to Spyros’ father Nikolaos. Spyros worked as the chef at Nick’s Place until he was 92 years old and lived to be 95.
Each year, Papa Spyros would harvest his olives and would have an abundance of olive oil left over. At first, the family used to consume it themselves. But his grandson Peter figured it would be worth trying to sell it because it was so good. At first, Peter and his wife Anna started selling it at the restaurants. Peter invested five hundred dollars to buy bottles, and the business has thrived ever since.
Peter and Anna each bring their own unique experiences to the table. Peter is a third-generation chef. He worked side-by-side with his grandfather Spyros and father Angelo at Nick’s Place. After growing up in the restaurant business, Peter attended the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. He graduated in 2007, and in 2009 at 21 years old, Peter bought the famed Brushmill by the Waterfall restaurant in Chester and owned it until 2021.
(left) Anna’s father, Artemios Markoulakis, Peter Giannopoulos & baby Angelo, Peter’s father Angelo Giannopoulos, and in front is Papa Spryos Giannopoulos; (right) A view of the Giannopoulos family vineyard in Makriskia, Greece
Anna grew up in Greece and spent winters in Athens. She had the unique opportunity to learn religious teachings at a local monastery. She gained experience cultivating plants and recognizing local herbs. She describes her time as, “a rich cultural and spiritual treasure.” She inherited the desire to create natural products from her grandmother and mother. Anna spent summers in Crete with her family where an abundance of herbs grow including oregano, thyme, and savory. Peter credits his wife Anna for the natural focus the Papa Spyros Olive Oil business has developed. “Anna has shown me so much about natural foods.” One of the deciding factors in moving on from The Brushmill was that Peter wanted to spend more time with Anna and their three children.
The family is passionate about maintaining a strong family heritage for their olive oil business. All the olives are handpicked, and they make very little use of machines. They don’t have a tractor that shakes the trees, or anything complex. The only challenge with the small koroneiki olive variety is that they can be difficult to rake from the trees. The trees must be hit hard to get the olives out, and nets are placed underneath the trees to catch the olives.
Beyond 100% extra virgin olive oil, Peter and Anna have added a variety of other items to their offerings. They sell traditional Greek hummus, moussaka, tzatziki, and baklava. Anna makes a handmade spanakopita phyllo dough pastry filled with olive oil, spinach, feta, onions, and leeks. Every summer, when Anna returns to Crete, she handpicks oregano, thyme, and savory. She goes to the highest mountain in Crete which can only be reached by foot and harvests with her family. She uses small scissors and only cuts the f lowers from the plants so that the plant can continue to thrive. She explained that the Cretan thyme is rough and spiky, with a bitter taste. The more bitter the herbs, the more beneficial they tend to be for the body, Anna shared. The bees pollinate the herbs and create amazing thyme honey that her beekeeper brother carefully harvests. Anna will walk along the Cretan cliffs with her brother to collect the Cretan sea salt. When the waves hit the cliffs, the water dries in the sun, leaving behind sea salt that is rich in iodine, magnesium, calcium, and other minerals.
The Papa Spyros Olive Oil family had an exciting year in 2023 and are working hard to build on their successes. In 2023, Peter became an olive oil sommelier, an expert who can identify different types of olive oil based on their flavor profiles. Anna worked purposefully to expand Papa Spyros Olive Oil’s offerings to include a luxurious line of hand and body products. Papa Spyros Olive Oil was also awarded a Silver Award at the 2023 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition, the world's largest olive oil quality contest. They also purchased a building in Branford to sell the olive oil from, and to create a commercial kitchen. 2024 has no signs of slowing down for the power couple. Peter and Anna are set to open Papa Spyros Olive Oil and Fine Foods this spring. The shop will feature fine food crafted with their favorite ingredient: olive oil, of course.
Papa Spyros Olive Oil & Fine Foods
78 North Main Street
Branford
www.papaspyrosoliveoil.com
also available on Healthy PlanEat at www.healthyplaneat.com
