Stamatopoulos & Sons Olive Oil opened at the Colonnade selling “small-batch, single-varietal olive oil from southwest Greece,” says Greg (Grigorios, actually) Stamatopoulos. “There are about five hundred varieties of olives, and you can make oil from any of them.” Both his parents’ families are from the olive country in the Messenia region of southwest Greece (“literally no traffic lights within a hundred kilometers of their hometowns”) and Greg imports all of his olive oil from their farms and others in the area, where they make oil exclusively from the koroneiki olive. “Most olive oils you buy are blends. It’s still pretty rare to be able to get single-source olive oil, but it’s like wine, or coffee. Things are moving that direction.”
While he sells some flavored, infused oils, the koroneiki olive oil is best experienced, he says, in its pure form. At the moment, it’s about a dollar an ounce for a smooth, buttery version, slightly more for bolder, grassier-tasting oils. He says prices fluctuate by supply and demand.
He also carries flaked sea salts, organic saffron, balsamic vinegars, and herbs, notably Sideritis athoa, a.k.a. “Greek mountain tea. It’s a home remedy for everything: headaches, colds, pain. It gives you energy but has no caffeine. Just a few leaves in boiling water.” If you need more precise instruction, he’ll be hosting twice-weekly visits from herbalist Maggie David.
Stamatopoulos & Sons Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 869 W. Eisenhower (Colonnade), 369-2995. Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. stamsons.com
