OOTOPIA

Brand's website: OOTOPIA

Who is Ootopia?

The owners of this brand are partly Greek and partly Italian. The land they chose for their olive groves is located in the hills above the seaside town of Ermioni in the Peloponnese, Greece. Their olive varieties are Greek, Italian and Spanish. As they say themselves - they are not nationalists at the core, but perfectionists, so they simply look for the best olive varieties for their oils and don't care what country they come from. Their vision is to create the world's leading olive oil company, producing a range of exceptional extra virgin olive oils with distinctive organoleptic qualities. At the same time, they want to educate professionals and enthusiastic gourmets, develop the use of olive oil in gastronomy and push the boundaries of exceptional quality.

Ootopia has a deep respect for nature and values the knowledge and experience inherent in traditional and sustainable growing practices. They optimize their results with a state-of-the-art olive mill, where they can extract and bottle the best of nature without altering or modifying the ingredients in any significant way, and they also allow for complete traceability and transparency of every step of the process.

Who is behind Ootopia?

Ootopia is well aware that the most important element of their success is the people involved in the project. Therefore, we have on board people passionate about olive oil, with proven professional experience, such as:

Development Project Manager Dimitris Fotiadis - has 25 years of experience in business development and management of major real estate and infrastructure projects worldwide. He is passionate about sustainable development and has made it his goal to integrate the Ootopia project. Dimitris holds Bachelor and Master degrees in Civil Engineering and worked towards a Bachelor degree in Enology and Viticulture. In the past, he has served as CEO of several start-up companies.

Chief agronomist and internationally certified olive oil taster Kostas Lyris - Kostas has dedicated his career to the pursuit of the best tasting olive oil that Greek soil has to offer. He is also a master blender, which fits perfectly with the philosophy of Ootopia. Ootopia relies on his international experience as an olive oil taster to create unique blends.

Head of Operations & Administration Panorea Takoumaki - Panorea takes care of the daily operations. He is also legal counsel for Ootipia. He has a Bachelor's degree in Geology, a Master's degree in GIS and is working towards an MBA. She completed six months of professional level training in olive oil production - farm to table.

Head of Sales & Marketing John Anairousis - spreading the word that Ootopia produces some of the best olive oil you can find in the world. He heads the sales and marketing department and is an enthusiast of Ootopia olive oil as a food with high nutritional value that is produced in a sustainable way. John holds a Bachelor's degree in Business and Marketing, a Master's degree in International Marketing and an MBA.

Estate administrator Thanasis Balabanis - Thanasis is a reliable caretaker and overseer of the land. He makes sure that the olive grove is healthy and in balance with nature.

Michelin-starred chefs Georgianna Hiliadaki & Nikos Roussos - top gastronomists, winners of many awards, creators of the Michelin-starred restaurant Funky Gourmet, this dynamic duo is passionate about developing dishes based on authentic flavours and imaginative combinations. Their contribution is invaluable to Ootopia's gastronomic discoveries with olive oil.

Architect & philosopher Anastasios Rigopoulos - his exceptional designs are based on his philosophical exploration of the impact of human intervention on natural harmony and ways to preserve nature's balance. His designs for the Ootopia olive oil press installation are truly inspiring.

Topos

When Ootopia was looking for the ideal "topos" for their business, the Ermionida peninsula enchanted them. It is a beautiful natural area that won their hearts and where they decided to locate their headquarters. The picturesque hills above the ancient town of Ermioniida offer optimal conditions for olive growing thanks to low rainfall, making the area ideal for growing native Greek olive varieties alongside selected Mediterranean varieties.

The Ermionida peninsula, just two and a half hours' drive from Athens, is surrounded by the Gulf of Argolida and the Myrtoon Pelagos Sea. The fresh sea breeze blowing from the historic islands of Spetses and Hydra further increases the fertility of the soil. An otopia is an imaginary, idealized place that has highly desirable or near-perfect qualities for its inhabitants. In this very own Ootopia, they have created the ideal place to produce their own olive oil, welcome their friends, deepen and broaden their knowledge of the land and its treasures, and nurture a community of connoisseurs.

Harmony

In this place, they strive to achieve perfect harmony of body and soul by ingeniously engaging all their senses and activities. Guests of Ootopia can stroll around, smell the thyme and oregano, enjoy the beautiful landscape and feel the sea breeze on their face.

We recommend a visit to the olive oil production facility (see picture below), which is carefully designed to be fully in line with the environment, and also in line with Ootopia's philosophy of using the latest technology, but only as a means to protect nature and get the best out of it, never to alter it. Not to mention that visitors can even participate in the harvest, take olive oil tasting classes and end the day with a glass of wine and a revitalising meal prepared by their chefs.