Ellive: Olive oil from ancient Olympia

The main focus of the company today is producing and trading with high-quality extra virging olive oil and by-products, respecting their family tradition and passion for the quality of what is known Greece's liquid gold. They take care of all stages of the production, including the proper cultivation of the Olive trees, the harvesting of the fruits by hand and the direct management and standardisation of the olives which give Ellive's products the highest nutritional value and purity. “My sisters are both agronomists. They perform regular soil analyses to adapt the culture to exactly what the olives need, so that we can ensure low acidity and a delicate fruity aroma, which is what sets our product apart. We want to offer a high-quality product – that’s non-negotiable”, explains Manolis when asked about the company's philosophy. 

Manolis himself adds the entrepreneurial touch to the business: “I’m the risk-taker. All business ideas have risk, and we had no prior business activity in this field – and it’s a very competitive field, very developed in Greece. We want to maintain high quality, but there is a culture here of looking only at price and that’s a challenge…We are really trying to look for those clients that require higher quality. Even though we’re a young company, our client book is growing by the day and we are still standing despite some difficult years.”

An EU-guaranteed loan from Piraeus Bank, backed by the EIF under the EU’s Investment Plan for Europe (EFSI) gave Manolis and the team a much-needed boost: “We needed to give the business an edge, so we invested in digital marketing, including targeted advertising, social media, google ads…this sort of thing. It’s crucial in this day and age and it helps us grow our client base.”

After overcoming the challenges of the pandemic period, Manolis is glad to be in a good position now. “We had some difficult moments, like when a big deal fell through and we took a hit, especially psychologically. But you have to learn from these failures, leave them behind, close the chapter and face the next day. The market won’t allow anything else.” Looking ahead, Manolis is already planning to expand sales. Ellive has secured new sales deals in Greece, Cyprus and Latvia and is seeking to expand to the US, UK and Serbia but this might take longer a bit longer than we expected. Plans also include expanding the business with other products and services, like hand-made traditional pasta (grandma-style), or developing agro-tourism on site so that tourists can really experience making olive-oil and even make their own olive oil in small quantities.