Move Over, Chobani
Posted by estiator at 16 April, at 08 : 32 AM Print
A young Greek-yogurt maker wows the market.
By Constantine Kolitsas
It was almost 20 years ago when a very wealthy friend asked me what I thought about investing in a factory to make Greek yogurt in Upstate New York. “It’s just yogurt,” I replied, thinking that American tastes wouldn’t adapt to the thick, strained yogurt that we Greek-Americans enjoy on our visits to the Old Country. In any case, this friend had amassed a fortune in the high-tech sector; yogurt by comparison just seemed so mundane. Even if my reaction had nothing to do with his decision not to move forward with the investment, to this day I can’t help thinking what a fool I was. Within short order, Greek dairy giant Fage had entered into the market and was immediately embraced by the American public. Propelled by a population’s increasing sophistication in its palate thanks to the advent of food-oriented networks and media outlets, start – ups like Chobani came along, quickly climbing to the top of the market and earning billions of dollars.
Today, enter Ignatios Vasilellis, the progeny of dairy farmers from the Greek island of Lesvos, formally schooled in the science and art of dairy production, and hungry to make his mark in the United States. His company, Stani Dairy, produces what he believes is the only authentic cheesecloth-strained Greek yogurt. In just over three years, his nascent brand has catapulted from a local boutique curiosity to a supermarket staple in New England, while gaining headway in markets that stretch all the way down to the Sunshine State. Just a taste of his goods tells the story: His yogurt typically outsells the others in the Greek yogurt space in the markets where he’s placed, while top chefs throughout the region insist on using his product exclusively.
At the age of 30, Vasilellis exudes passion when discussing his product, demonstrating profound knowledge of every aspect of the dairy business, from the production floor to the boardroom. In fact, on any given day he might be found in a clean-room bunny suit, working a production station; behind the wheel of a delivery truck; or on the road promoting his brand directly with consumers at one of the many grocery stores that carry Stani.
Vasilellis arrived in the United States five years ago with the determination to start a yogurt factory. Recently wed to a Greek-American girl whom he had met on Lesvos three years earlier, he quickly determined that there was a market for yogurt made the traditional way in Greece—strained through cheesecloth rather than thickened with powders.
After graduating from the Galaktokomiki College of Ioannina in 2008 (where he learned dairy science and production) and completing his compulsory military service in Greece, Vasilellis opened his first dairy company on his native island, producing foods from his family’s farm. The company, named Eugeuston (meaning “good taste”), made a few cheeses (primarily feta and ladotyri), yogurt, and rice pudding, which were marketed throughout Lesvos, as well as in Athens and Thessaloniki. (As a side note, he recently began importing his family’s feta, which he distributes under the SD Hellas name.) Before the age of 25, he was quickly on the way to being a millionaire. But the restrictions on competition imposed by the EU frustrated him (he was only allowed to produce a limited number of gallons legally), and so, he and his new bride decided to fold up the operation and transplant it across the Atlantic. The success he had with Eugeuston, then, became the launching pad for Stani Dairy, named for the sheepfolds of his childhood.
“When I came to the United States, I realized that this is a country where you can fall asleep poor and wake up wealthy,” he says, paraphrasing the old saying that the streets are paved with gold.
Indeed, Stani (which was launched as a business entity in June of 2016) began shipping product by the end of 2017, just two years after Vasilellis migrated to the United States alongside his U.S.- born wife, Meni. Three years later, he is investing in an expansion that will enable him to increase production by a spectacular 500 percent. “We move product as fast as we can make it,” he says, indicating that the new production line (coupled with the purchase of more trucks) will take his yogurt from the packaging machines directly to the vehicles that will transport it to distributors or grocery outlets.
While restaurant foodservice is a very big part of his business (he sells thousands of 10-gallon tubs to marquee Greek restaurants throughout New England and in Manhattan weekly), Vasilellis has successfully tapped into the lucrative consumer market, packaging his product into individual portion cups sold in supermarket aisles. “We currently offer five flavors: honey, strawberry, blueberry, peach, and plain,” he says, with plans to add four more (key lime, raspberry, cherry, and coconut) as part of the new expansion.
And just as important as the authentic process, says Vasilellis, is his commitment to using quality ingredients in all of his yogurts, sourced from local producers wherever possible. “Our milk is from Mountain Dairy in Storrs, Connecticut, and all of our flavors are made with real fruit,” he says.
“Wherever Stani is placed, we soon outpace sales of established Greek yogurt brands,” he asserts. Chobani, he says, offers 65 flavors and, by that standard, commands the lead in the market. However, he is quick to note, “Chobani started with just five, and at a time when there was not much competition in the Greek yogurt category.” Today, he says, “all the major players are making Greek yogurt, and Stani is standing apart from them for its quality. By continuing to make authentic strained Greek yogurt of the highest quality, we are confident that e can give Chobani a run for its money.”
While restaurant foodservice is a very big part of his business (he sells thousands of 10-gallon tubs to marquee Greek restaurants throughout New England and in Manhattan weekly), Vasilellis has successfully tapped into the lucrative consumer market, packaging his product into individual portion cups sold in supermarket aisles. “We currently offer five flavors: honey, strawberry, blueberry, peach, and plain,” he says, with plans to add four more (key lime, raspberry, cherry, and coconut) as part of the new expansion. And just as important as the authentic process, says Vasilellis, is his commitment to using quality ingredients in all of his yogurts, sourced from local producers wherever possible. “Our milk is from Mountain Dairy in Storrs, Connecticut, and all of our flavors are made with real fruit,” he says. “Wherever Stani is placed, we soon outpace sales of established Greek yogurt brands,” he asserts. Chobani, he says, offers 65 flavors and, by that standard, commands the lead in the market. However, he is quick to note, “Chobani started with just five, and at a time when there was not much competition in the Greek yogurt category.” Today, he says, “all the major players are making Greek yogurt, and Stani is standing apart from them for its quality. By continuing to make authentic strained Greek yogurt of the highest quality, we are confident that e can give Chobani a run for its money.”
