Although both Stefanos Kokotos and Yannos Hadjiioannou grew up in Athens and went to the same school - though not at the same time - it was not until they were both well settled in the UK when their paths first came across each other - when Kokotos was looking to expand his pop up meze business into a full blown restaurant and Hadjiioannou was looking to be one of his key suppliers.
Rather than do business with each other they quickly realised there was an opportunity for them to do business together and Maltby&Greek was born. At least that’s the very shortened version of their story.
The in-depth version sees them come to the UK to study and then initially both start careers in business, consultancy and finance. But a shared love of Greek food, wine, history and culture saw them separately start to work in sourcing and working with Greek produce. Kokotos with his Russell Norman small plate meze business and Hadjiioannou with a small Greek deli set outlet as part of the Maltby Street Market in Berdmondsey, London.
“The fact we both started in business was a good background for us and meant we were professional from the start,” claims Hadjiioannou, although he is quick to add that neither had any experience of the logistics of actually sourcing and importing food and drink.
Starting out
“Our aim was to be the go to Greek importer of wine and food.” Which is what Yannos Hadjiioannou and Stefanos Kokotos can now claim to have done with Maltby&Greek
They did, though, both share a love, passion and knowledge of Greek food and drink, as Kokotos explains: “Every culture has their own food and drink, but Greek has an abundance to choose from, which is mostly unknown to the wider world. It’s also very regional and often only known in that area with recipes specific to that place.”
“We are both so proud of what Greece can offer and thought why don’t we bring the best of Greece to the UK,” adds Hadjiioannou.
“Our aim was to be the go to Greek importer of wine and food,” adds Kokotos.
Although it is a position they can proudly now claim to own, it has taken 12 long years to get there with Greece forever “being seen as the next big thing,” he adds.
They were both initially encouraged by the growing interest by leading chefs and restaurants in Greek ingredients, most notably olive oil and its cheeses, and how they use those ingredients.
The wine side of the company has taken longer to bed in, but wine has been fundamental to Maltby&Greek since it started. “From day one we had two Greek wineries in our range,” recalls Kokotos, “now we are working with 25 wineries.”
He is keen stress his own family winery was not one of the initial wines it brought in, but had to wait its turn until the range and opportunity was right for the UK.
It is, though, the local, family, artisan producer that they most want to work with - be it for wine, food or produce.
“If we want to be seen as a Greek specialist we need to be quite broad with the types of producer we work with so we can service all parts of the market,” explains Kokotos.
“We are very focused on what the market here needs and how we can go out and get it for them,” says Hadjiioannou.
That might mean sourcing and supplying wine for fellow importers in the UK and keeping their eye on what some of the larger operators are doing in terms of building up exclusive producer partnerships of their own.
Hadjiioannou does not see them as direct competitors as they only offering a few Greek wines as part of their wider range, whereas it is the sole focus of Maltby&Greek.
“It is great to be working with a small producer in Crete, for example, and see their wines being sold in a Michelin restaurant in the UK,” he adds. “It is exciting for them too.”
The Maltby&Greek warehouse that supplies Greek wine and food all over the UK
A key part of its service is having its own warehouse and managing, where possible, its own deliveries from its fleet of three vans. “We can supply the whole country from there,” says Kokotos, be it directly, or through partnerships it is looking to build with strategic partners, like Inverarity Morton in Scotland. The majority of the business is in, or around, London with 70% going into the on-trade, particularly for wine.
It also has strong connections with independent wine merchants who are keen to get behind Greek wines and can act like an ambassador for what they are trying to do.
That’s where it will focus its training and personal tastings and visits, says Hadjiioannou.
What’s selling
They are certainly uniquely placed to assess where the Greek wine market is going in the UK. Whilst wines from the big tourist areas are always going to be out in front, they are both encouraged to see the increase in interest for more native grape varieties, particularly Xinomavro.
“We are seeing a general dialling back on international varieties and more focus on indigenous and new varieties appearing that have not been seen commercially before,” says Kokotos. “There is, for example, still so much to come from Xinomavro be it in white, rosé, sparkling and red.”
Whilst it does not have plans to run its own winery (yet), Maltby&Greek has invested in an organic and biodynamic olive grove and can claim to be a Greek producer of its own now. Which has gone down well with its suppliers and producer partners, says Hadjiioannou. “We are not just an intermediary.”
The next step
Sourcing and bringing the best of Greece to the UK is what Maltby&Greek is focused on
“We have definitely come a long way,” stresses Kokotos. “But it has been more of an evolution as Greece has taken a more prominent position in the UK market. The last couple of years, in particular, there has been so much more interest from both supermarkets and restaurants.”
“We try and do things properly and might be punching above our weight at times,” claims Hadjiioannou.
They would not have expected to be working with Aldi, for example, a few years ago. “The supermarkets are interested to see how they can introduce Greek varieties to their consumers,” says Hadjiioannou. “They see it as a stepping stone to introduce other varieties.”
“We are at a different, growing phase of the business,” adds Kokotos. “We are turning from a small team to a proper distribution business which means we are having to invest in laying solid foundations to help the business grow and make our lives more efficient. We are also now looking at investment opportunities that can take the business forward.”
Which is a challenge as much as an opportunity to ensure it makes the right decisions to “enable that growth” and build on what is already an 18-strong people company.
It also wants to make sure it can grow alongside its producers and suppliers and “maintain its quality of service”. “But we know we can grow a lot more with the producers that we have,” adds Kokotos.
What next
Managing its own vans and most of its distribution is key to Maltby&Greek's success
They are looking, for example, to be more pro-active with their top producers and say “this is what the market is looking for - what can you do to supply it”.
The impetus to “focus on our own thing” and what they can do through Maltby&Greek.
It’s why they are keen to work more closely with non executive directors in the business, most noticeably Willie Lebus and all the extensive experience he is able to share with them from his Bibendum days. “It’s good to have someone from the outside who can give us a clear vision. He is more of a mentor figure for us,” says Kokotos.
It’s also good, they say, to be part of the Spa Terminus community in Bermondsey in south London, where there are a wide range of food, produce and craft suppliers and distributors all working under the same roof and the chance to share ideas and experiences.
They are encouraged to see the level of plantings taking place across Greece and the ambition of its bigger producers which means they too in turn “need to be making plans for that kind of volume”.
“We want to increase awareness so when people are looking for wine we can work with them and the multiples can certainly help us grow,” says Hadjiioannou. “It is though different to developing a relationship with a restaurant or sommelier.”
“It all comes down to the consistency of the product. It is the same for sommeliers, chefs and the top wine buyers. You always have to go back to them with the same level of quality,” says Kokotos.
- You can find out more about Maltby&Greek at its website here.
- Maltby&Greek is hosting its annual tasting on January 20 at Vagabond Monument, 51 Gracechurch Street, London, EC3V 0EH. A chance to meet and taste wines from at least 20 Greek wine producers. For more details and to register contact Clare Malec on clare@island-media.co.uk.
