Sparta Gourmet

Tell us a little about your company. When and how you started your business?

Our business was started in 2016 after years of importing our extra virgin olive oil and Kalamata olives to the US for our own family and friends. We decided to move back to Greece from NY and make the investment and put in the work to create a full service olive & olive oil processing facility to enable us to guarantee the quality by managing the process from the olive grove to the consumer.

We would like to know more about the ingredients you use in your products. Where do they come from, and how do you ensure you get the best quality. 

Our extra virgin olive oil is from the Spartan region of Lakonia, harvested by 1400+ producers, mostly of the renowned Koroneiki variety, processed and packaged exclusively by Sparta Gourmet in our state-of-the-art 7,700 m2 facility using technological advancements to preserve the high polyphenols that provide precious nutrition, maintain aromatic profiles and offer our customers the product fresh and natural from its origin. Our Kalamata olives are also from the immediate Spartan region, harvest, cured and packaged exclusively in-house. Our Kalamata olive paste has notes of mountain oregano and thyme from the Taygetus mountains that line the horizon in Sparta. 

What are the top 3 things you’d advise consumers on olive oil?

Origin plays a major role in quality, where is your olive oil from? Is it a blend from different countries? Different oils? Monovarietal? Read the labeling and hold companies accountable. Traceability guarantees quality and the associated health benefits. 

What are the most important challenges that a Greek producer has to face today?

Greek producers are facing quite a few challenges, the over production of other countries and the entry of new producer countries reducing demand by oversupply, the generally small size of Greek farms coupled with naturally mountainous terrain and non-commercialized farm layout result in higher production costs and market entry costs in addition to the increased difficulty in reaching and educating the many small producers by national or trade organizations. Regardless of these challenges, Greece is blessed with a natural terrain and climate that produces phenomenal olives and extra virgin olive oil and these challenges in essence have preserved the traditional methods of production and harvest, resulting in lower chemical usage and natural products.