ManiFoods: purely Greek

Mani Foods is a family business founded in 1990. Headquartered in Kalamata, just north of the Mani peninsula in the Peloponnese, it operates in the production, packaging and exporting of olives, olive oil and specialty foods. In 2007, the headquarters, warehouses and production areas were relocated to brand new facilities. Since then, the company has been going from strength to strength, increasing its export activity steadily. Mani Foods currently ships its products to more than 20 countries in five continents.

Award-winning Greek olive oil

Developing into a household brand and widely recognized as one of the leading Greek exporters, Mani Foods is proud of its high standards of quality assurance: In 2013 Mani Foods’ premium quality extra virgin olive oil won the gold medal at the International Competition of extra virgin olive oil in Japan.

Expanding into the US market

In 2016, the company made a breakthrough in sales by securing orders from a large American retailer. This, however, called for new machinery in order to meet the increased demand and the various customised requests. But Mani Foods shifted gears and rose to the challenge. As Demie Zygouri, one of the company’s co-owners, points out, “This doubled more than our production.”

We’re looking to expand our US presence, while maintaining the quality of our products. ”

- Demie Zygouri

EU-backed loan for growth

In order to finance this scaling-up of the company, Demie turned to their long-standing partners, the National Bank of Greece, who offered financial support to Mani Foods in the form of a loan backed by EIF under the EU’s Investment Plan for Europe. The Investment Plan for Europe aims to generate new investments by facilitating access to finance for small businesses like Mani Foods.

Expansion and job creation

This support allowed Mani Foods to expand their facilities and purchase the new equipment they needed. Staff numbers subsequently exploded from 21 to close to 50. “We’re now looking to expand our US presence, while maintaining the high quality of our products.”