Long Before 2007
A Family Growing Olives in Stavies
Marika and Manoli Manousakis have been tending olive groves in Stavies, a tiny village in the Messara valley of Crete. Their daughter Evie grew up learning the olive oil tradition, from harvest to press, understanding that quality olive oil was simply part of daily life in their village.
Evie Meets John in Thessaloniki
Evie left Stavies to attend college in Thessaloniki, where she met John Semertzides. After they married, they decided to move to Cincinnati, Ohio to build their life in America. But the connection to Stavies, and to Marika and Manoli's olive oil never faded.
1980s
Building a Family in Cincinnati
Evie and John had three sons: Nick, Manos, and Alex, and raised them in Cincinnati. Despite being thousands of miles from Crete, the family stayed connected to Stavies, visiting when they could and always having Marika and Manoli's olive oil in their kitchen.
1990s to 2000s
2007
Mt. Kofinas Olive Oil Is Born
Evie and John decided to start importing olive oil directly from Marika and Manoli's groves in Stavies. They called it Mt. Kofinas Olive Oil, named after the distinctive mountain that stands above their family's village. The goal was simple: share authentic, single-source Greek olive oil with people who'd never tasted the real thing.
2007 to 2010
Starting at Farmers Markets
The family began by selling at local farmers markets and events around Cincinnati. They encouraged people to taste their olive oil, and the response was clear: people could taste the difference. What started as a weekend project began to grow through word of mouth.
Evie Starts Making Infused Oils
Using their authentic Greek extra virgin olive oil as the base, Evie began creating infused olive oils by hand in small batches. Using natural, high-quality ingredients and careful methods developed over fifteen years, each flavor became a signature offering. Eventually, the family opened their Montgomery store where customers can watch bottles being filled.
2010 to 2015
From Mt. Kofinas to Kofinas Olive Oil
About eight years ago, the family rebranded from "Mt. Kofinas" to simply "Kofinas Olive Oil"—keeping the mountain shape in the logo but making the name easier to say and remember. Today, the family still carefully tends to Marika and Manoli’s groves in Stavies. Evie still makes each batch of infused oil by hand at their Montgomery store, where locals drop by to watch bottles being filled and taste the difference. Every Saturday, you'll find the family at Findlay Market, offering samples and talking olive oil with anyone who stops by. From the groves of Crete to two locations in Cincinnati, the family continues to import, bottle, and share authentic Greek olive oil—one bottle at a time.
The Village
Stavies: In the Shadow of Mount Kofinas
Stavies is a small village in Crete’s Messara Valley, home to about 300 residents and surrounded by olive groves and vineyards. Located at the foothills of Mount Kofinas, the village sits in a region known throughout Crete for producing high-quality agricultural products.
Mount Kofinas is visually distinct and gives its name to the surrounding villages. The mountain and valley shape the land where our family’s olive groves have been cultivated and passed down through generations.
This is not large-scale production. Olive farming in Stavies is still done with care, where families tend small groves and quality comes from tradition and experience.
From these groves, olives are harvested and pressed locally before the oil is stored and later shipped to the United States, where it is bottled and shared with kitchens beyond Crete.
Culture & Tradition
The Cretan Way of Life
In Stavies and throughout Crete, food is part of daily life, family, and tradition. This way of living shapes how meals are shared and how olive oil is grown, prepared, and enjoyed.
What guides us
Our Family Values
These are the values our family lives by. They guide how we care for our olive trees, how we make our olive oil, and how we share it with others.
Taste what family made means
Authentic From the Source
Our olive oil is sourced from our family’s groves in Stavies and from neighboring villages throughout the Messara Valley of Crete. It is pressed locally and handled with care, reflecting the land, the harvest, and the traditions shared across our village and nearby communities.
Family at the Center
Olive growing in Stavies has always been a family effort. From grandparents to younger generations, caring for the trees and sharing the harvest is part of daily life, not a business model.
Tradition That Still Works
We follow traditional methods because they produce better olive oil. Olives are hand-harvested, cold-pressed at low temperatures, and handled with care at every step, just as they have been for decades.
Quality Over Quantity
Our groves can only produce so much oil. We don’t rush the process or push for higher yields at the expense of quality. Each harvest reflects the season, the land, and the care put into it.
Respect for the Land
The groves around Stavies have been passed down through generations. Farming here means caring for the land so it remains productive for the family members and villagers who come after us.
Honest and Transparent
In our village, everyone knows where their food comes from and how it is made. We carry that same openness forward, sharing how our olive oil is grown, pressed, and brought to your table.
