« Greece flows through our veins ». As does the olive oil we’ve been producing for 8 generations in the south of Greece, in a little village called Neochori-Ithomi, in the Kalamata region. In 2010, we decided to take on the family olive exploitation in order to create Kalios, the Chefs’ olive oil!

After the harvest, we drove through Paris on our motorbikes, organizing spontaneous tastings in restaurants, making the greatest chefs sample our olives and extra virgin olive oil.

Two months later, thirty 5-litre cans, eighteen jars of olive paste and twelve 2-kilo jars of olives had been sold: Kalios history was in the making!

At Kalios, our knowledge is put to good use into two main tasks: producing olives and olive oil and sourcing the best of the Greek local products.

Uncle Aris manages the production in Greece. From November to January, we hand-pick our fruits by hand, respecting the Greek tradition. Each of our oils is represented by a great Chef who uses our products daily in their kitchen: Juan Arbelaez for the Bio organic vintage, Christophe Aribert for the vintage #01, Eric Guerin for the vintage #02 and Amandine Chaignot for our vintage #03.

We also developed a delicatessen brand selecting the best products from small local artisans who are involved at each step of the process.

Nowadays, Kalios has become an essential brand in the Greek grocery industry and has seduced over 1000 chefs including Pierre Gagnaire***, Nicolas Sale**. Kalios products are sold in the most notorious delicatessen in Paris: La Grande épicerie de Paris, Galeries Lafayette Gourmet, Maison Plisson, Causses…

For seven years, we formed several strong partnerships, including with chef Juan Arbelaez. Together, we decided to open modern Greek cuisine restaurants in Paris.

In 2017, Yaya St-Ouen was inaugurated in the Docks de St-Ouen, specializing in Cycladic cuisine. In 2019, Yaya Secrétan, a tribute to Peloponnese, was born in the 19th district of Paris. Finally, in 2020, Yaya La Défense, specialized in Cretan food, opened its doors in the biggest business district in Europe. And it’s just the beginning!

Fun fact: Yaya is the nickname of all grandmas in Greece. It is a tribute to Eleni, our own Yaya ♥