Odysea Greek Fine Foods Since 1991
Are you wondering why a French food website is talking about Greek fine foods? Well, let me tell you a little bit about The Good Food Network’s history.
Founded in 1996 by Paul Gimblett, our initial vision was to become a leading mail-order French food business. We created a catalogue full of delicious French fine foods that remains our most ambitious and best to this day.
However, starting a business from scratch with no customers meant we needed larger value orders, so we quickly turned to wholesale accounts such as delicatessens and farm shops.
While they ordered from our French food range, they also asked for Greek specialities such as mezes, olives and olive oils.
This is where Odysea comes in!
They are our main supplier of Greek fine foods, and we’ve been working with them for as long as we can remember.
Plus, they’re conveniently located on the other side of the Thames, making sourcing their range a breeze!
Although we have returned to our roots and are almost 100% focused on French fine foods, we still stock the amazing Odysea range.
About Odysea
In 1991 Panos Manuelides, the founder and owner of Odysea, decided to set up a business importing high quality Greek fine foods to the UK. The name Odysea is probably apt, as it means a long journey with adventures along the way!
Panos started by selling premium Greek olives and mezes from a stall on Portobello Road. This was very quickly successful, and very much a businessman, he realised he had discovered a niche in the UK market for high quality Greek fine foods, and so Odysea was born!
In many ways Odysea mirror what The Good Food Network aims to do for French fine foods, but turned towards Greece instead – to be a reference and first choice for quality Greek fine foods. Backed by good knowledge of Greek cuisine and close relationships with their suppliers back in Greece.
Odysea bring together quality a wide range of Greek fine foods at a very fair price point and have a team dedicated to travelling Greece in the search of producers.
Odysea is a middling sized company today and this is very much is based on the quality of their range … and as one of their customers, we may add their service, with knowledgeable staff and long – standing contacts who we enjoy working with – Martin in our case!
Authentic Greek Fine Foods & Values
Odysea’s range of Greek fine foods includes many products that have been awarded Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status, which guarantees their authenticity and quality. As we reflect on our long-standing and successful suppliers like Odysea, we are beginning to notice certain common characteristics that contribute to their success.
Firstly, there is a shared commitment to the quality of fine foods and respect for traditional production values. While modern production techniques are not shunned, authenticity remains a core value.
Secondly, these businesses are built on loyalty and relationships with their producers, customers, and team members. For instance, the staff at Odysea, as with our main French food supplier La Belle Chaurienne, have been with us for nearly two decades, resulting in a sense of friendship and a true food network.
Odysea Greek Kalamata Extra Virgin Olive Oil
We just have to give a shoutout to this amazing sub-range of the Odysea brand – it’s simply outstanding!
Odysea Greek Kalamata PDO Extra Virgin Olive Oil is made from Koroneiki olives that are grown and pressed in the Kalamata region, an area renowned for producing the highest quality olive oil and awarded PDO status.
We’ve tasted a fair share of olive oils over the years, and if we were to rate them on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the absolute best, we would give the Odysea Kalamata Olive Oil a solid 8/10. And in terms of quality, taste, and price, it’s definitely an 11/10!
The 5-litre tins, in particular, offer tremendous value and are among our top-selling fine foods. And if we’ve done our homework correctly, we usually offer the best online price for them!
Bon Appetit
Although The Good Food Network is now primarily focused on French fine foods, our long-standing partnership with Odysea, our main supplier of Greek fine foods, continues to this day.
One of their standout products is the Odysea Greek Kalamata PDO Extra Virgin Olive Oil, which we highly recommend for its superior quality, taste, and value.
If you enjoyed reading this post, don’t be afraid to keep on reading! Explore our other blog posts and learn more about our mission to provide the best fine foods from around the world.