meet Philippe Polli

Philippe Poli, born to an Italian father and Greek mother, grew up in Lausanne, Switzerland and spent many summers on the Greek island of Aegina. At the age of 24, he decided to move to Greece and join his mother’s family business, where he worked for nearly twenty years before taking a different turn professionally and personally. Philippe wanted to bring to life the ancient Greek concept of “εΰ ζην”, live well, and thus, in 2013, founded Philippos Hellenic Goods. The company’s home would be on Aegina, an island he had come to love dearly, rather than in the hustle and bustle of Athens. Philippe chose to focus on delivering high-quality Greek natural products by paying special attention to an expert selection of the primary materials and carefully supervising production in state-of-the-art facilities that he built on the island. As preparation for this new endeavor, Philippe had spent over a decade honing his knowledge of olives and oil, becoming a true connoisseur of the best Greece has to offer in this centuries-old tradition.

Philippe travels throughout Crete and the Peloponnese to carefully select the finest olives that he knows will guarantee a consistently high-quality oil. His passion for consistency in flavor leads him to work with a tight community of olive growers, choosing the best their crop has to offer, depending on the climate conditions of that year. The olives are quickly pressed on site and the oil then sent to Aegina, where Philippe has set up state-of-the-art lines to bottle and label his oil.  He places great emphasis on the right storage methods to ensure that quality stays consistent throughout the process. This painstaking attention to detail allows his products to reach markets all over the world, still keeping their sensory and nutritional characteristics intact year after year, something that most local producers can’t always guarantee.

We are proud to bring Philippos’ Hellenic Products to the US for his exceptional commitment to quality and his love for good design, which we embrace in contemporary Greece. We also love the Organic Olive Oil’s protective box and the convenient second non-drip spout he includes in the pack. Keep this precious oil in a cool, dark place, not out in the bright light of your kitchen, so that you, too, can benefit from the care and attention Philippe has showered on your product.

If you’re fortunate enough to visit the lovely island of Aegina, stop by Philippos’ new shop on Panagi Irioti 37, just behind the fish market in the old town. Read more about Philippe and take a peek in hisspotless facilityon our Zealous Stories blog.

Philippos is ISO 22000 certified as meeting international food safety management standards.