The Ioulia Greek Olive Oil Company’s vinegar and olive oil made a splash during its 2018 Park City debut at the Park City Farmers Market.
“I think people really appreciated the fact that we were the farmers of the olive oil,” said Christna Bhanos, who, along with her husband Stelios Antonopoulos, splits time between Greece and Park City. “As we continued the business, we had a lot of people who were interested in where the farm was located. They kept asking if they could come visit or stay with us on the farm.”
That wish is now a reality, according to Bhanos.
“We had an opportunity to purchase an old stone home, which is about 20 minutes from the olive oil farm,” she said. “We spent the last two years renovating this home for our family to have a home base here, where we didn’t have to stay with Stelios’ family in other villages. And we can now open it up for people to stay as well.”
Bhanos and Antonopoulos will officially announce the opening of the Sun and Moon Greek Village House to their clients in Park City during an olive oil party from 5-8 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 4, at the Trove Gallery, 804 Main St.
The event will be hosted by Gallery Owner Jen Schumacher, Bhanos said.
“We’ve hosted an olive oil party for the past three years with the sweet, sweet Jen, and this will be our fourth year,” she said. “And we wanted to let people know about this new opportunity.”
Ioulia Greek Olive Oil Company patrons have the opportunity to book stays at this three-bedroom home in Greece. Credit: Photo courtesy of Stelios Antopoulos and Christina Bhanos
Attendees will see photographs, videos and an interactive map of the 125-year-old beach house located in the Pylos municipality of Messinia, Greece, a unit of the Peloponnese region, Antonopoulos said.
“It has three full bedrooms and a loft, which can be made into another bedroom, and two full baths,” he said. “The area of the downstairs and upstairs spaces, including a loft, totals between 550 to 600 square feet.”
The Pylos municipality is about 14 kilometers, or 20 minutes away from a little village called Schilolaka, where the farm of 3,000 trees is overseen by Antonopoulos’ brother, Paris.
The Ioulia Greek Olive Oil Company is named after Antonopoulos’ mother, Ioulia, who passed away in 2017, Bhanos said.
“When people stay at the house, they can visit the locations where we make our products,” she said.
The Peloponnese Region is the center of olive oil production in Greece, Antonopoulos said.
“Even Italy doesn’t have this much oil,” he said. “The trees we have are unique, and they grow at a very specific temperature. There is a lot of tradition in how people harvest, and the way they did it back in time is how they still do it.”
Stelios Antopoulos and Christina Bhanos, the married owners of the Ioulia Greek Olive Oil Company have been in Greece renovating a home that will be open to their global customers, including Park City residents. Credit: Photo courtesy of Stelios Antopoulos and Christina Bhanos
In addition, the house is within walking distance from the Methoni Castle where Christopher Nolan shot scenes of his upcoming film, “The Odyssey.”
“The original castle was given from Agamemnon to Achilles, and it’s where Achilles rested and spent a lot of time with his warriors,” Antonopoulos said.
In the 1400s, the Venetians built another castle on top of it, Bhanos said.
“It’s the most preserved castle in Greece right now, and it is quite the site to see,” she said.
The castle served as one of the protections from pirates and invaders, Antonopoulos said.
“You will see in the bay a lot of boats that were sunk in battle, because the water is crystal blue,” he said.
Not only can visitors walk to the castle, they can take a short jaunt to the beach of the Mediterranean Sea to see the sunset or walk to the plateia, which is the town square, said Bhanos.
“You can experience a very authentic Greek village by staying in this home,” she said.
People will be able to book the home for any amount of time.
“We can arrange shorter stays or create a bigger package for them to cover other areas,” he said.
“We are experts about the Peloponnese region, and we have a partner who offers other services,” Bhanos said. “So if you want to go to Mykonos (Island) or other regions in Greece we have connections and options for these experiences.”
Bhanos and Antonopoulos plan to register the house on Airbnb, but wanted to give their Park City clients a sneak preview.
“We will have a package that people can get directly from us on our website, and it will have options to include a chef who will cook for them, or have someone pick them up from the airport or take a boat to see the different islands,” he said. “There will be different amenities that people can add on and pay for. Anything they can think of, we’ll work with it.”
Visitors can also meet the home’s former owner, Bhanos said.
“We had him over to see the renovations and he told us about his mother who used to hand out figs from the fig tree that grows in the yard,” she said.
“Villagers used to call her Aunt Ellen because she was like an aunt to everyone,” Antonopoulos said.
Bhanos and Antonopoulos said opening the house is their way of saying thanks to their clients and patrons.
“The products that are available to the Park City community will serve as a bridge from the Park City village to a Greek village,” Bhanos said.
Olive Oil Party with Ioulia Greek Olive Oil Company
When: 5-8 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 4
Where: Trove Gallery, 804 Main St.
Web: iouliaoliveoil.com
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