Monogram

Monogram perfectly balances tradition and innovation, offering exceptional monovarietal extra virgin olive oils and olive products.

Discovery

Visits to Greek Brand New, the top Greek product design fair, do not normally yield gastronomic finds. Monogram was a happy exception. I was so impressed by the style of the bottle and packaging, that I knew A Magic Cabinet must include it.

This is a brand based in Kalamata in the Messinia region of the Peloponnese producing olive oils, olives and olive pastes. Their own abundant groves are in Pylos which was historically known as Navarino.

It produces a collection of prime monovarietal extra virgin olive oils from a wide geographical diversity. The Koroneiki type hails from Pylos, the Valanolia from the island of Lesvos, the Athinolia from the fortress town of Monemvasia and the Maroneia from Evros in Thrace.

It was launched in 2018 by four young friends who shared the same enthusiasm for nature, but with a vision of an innovative brand of olive oils. Anastasis Magganas and his sister Ioanna are the co-owners of the brand, and together with Vassiliki Skiada and Manos Vournelis constitute the Monogram founders.

Messinia is known for its rich soil, gentle climate and flourishing nature.

The brand values the importance of presentation. Apart from embracing eco-friendly packaging, their bottles and boxes mirror the brand’s philosophy of purity. Transparency is an important element for Monogram and its beautiful glass bottles and steel spout perfectly present the colour and fluidity of the oil within.

Memory

Anastasis studied mathematics and worked as a teacher. Yet his love for nature led him and his sister to follow the family tradition of olive oil making to utilize their family olive groves.

With the assistance of Manos and Vassiliki, they were able to modernize the family’s olive production introducing new innovative elements and reimagining it as a premium brand.

Transparency is an important element for Monogram and its beautiful glass bottles and steel spout perfectly present the colour and fluidity of the oil within.

The first steps of Monogram were not easy. Anastasis wanted to establish a stable production of olive oil, retaining high standards. There were many unpredictable factors related to agriculture, such as the weather, which he was able to overcome by finding the right partner and collaborators.

Narration

The four friends all come from different scientific areas. Apart from Anastasis who studied mathematics, his sister Ioanna is a doctor specializing in dermatology. She lives in Switzerland and is responsible for the promotion and marketing of Monogram in Central Europe. Vassiliki is a food chemist and has a decade of experience working in oil laboratories and overlooks the quality of the final product. Manos is a process engineer. In the past he worked in various environmental companies and is responsible for limiting the ecological impact of production on the environment as for the eco-friendly packaging of the brand.

Monogram also has an in-house agriculturist who specializes in olive cultivation.

The brand is extremely strict about their oil extraction method. It takes place on the same day of the harvest and within three to four hours the olives are taken to the nearby modern, state-of-the-art oil mills where the olives are kneaded for 30 minutes.

The olive oil is stored in stainless steel tanks with inert gas feeding equipment. The tanks are cooled to protect the olives from oxidizing.

Their Koroneiki oil derives from three lush groves with an area of 80.000 to 90.000 square meters. The production yields around 16 tons of Koroneiki and two tons of Kalamata olives. Messinia is known for its rich soil, gentle climate and flourishing nature.