Award Winning Taste of Crete PDO Extra Virgin Olive Oil Makes the "A" List at Andronico's Markets with a Grand Debut During Celebration of Greek Orth

(PRWEB) May 2, 2008 -- Taste of Crete PDO extra virgin olive oil made its grand debut at all Andronico's Markets during its celebration of Greek Orthodox Easter. Simultaneously across most Andronico's locations, on Saturday, April 26, Demeter's Pantry held product demos in preparation for Greek Orthodox Easter on Sunday, April 27. A Gold medal winner in the Los Angeles International Olive Oils of the World Competition, Taste of Crete also carries the European Union's PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) certification that recognizes both the high quality of the product and the traditional production techniques with which it is made.

Jessica Willett, the Specialty Food Buyer for Andronico's Markets remarked, "Andronico's is a Greek owned company with a great heritage. We are extremely selective about the gourmet products we carry." She elaborated, "Products are chosen by a committee of eight taste testers, including our corporate chef and all key buyers. We taste tested a variety of Greek olive oils side by side, and hands down, Taste of Crete PDO was the absolute best. Everyone was impressed by its superior quality. We are very excited to offer it to our customers."

Demos for the introduction of Taste of Crete PDO extra virgin olive oil were conducted by Healthy Bites Demo Company based in Antioch, California. Company President Antoinette Alparone expressed, "Customers stated that it was the best olive oil they had ever tasted. We had great feedback from our demonstrators, who said that Taste of Crete EVOO was really well received by customers and easy to sell."

Esther Luongo Psarakis, a Managing Partner at Demeter's Pantry said, "We are extremely excited to be working with Andronico's Markets. Andronico's is a family firm founded by Greeks with a reputation for selling high quality, delicious foods. Given their expertise in things Greek, we were hugely pleased that they chose our oil. Maria, my partner, and I started Demeter's Pantry because of our family ties to Greece. We look forward to a long and growing partnership with Andronico's Markets providing authentic, great-tasting Greek specialty foods to their customers."

Demeter's Pantry is a women-owned import company with a strong focus on supporting artisan, women and agricultural cooperatives in Greece. Their award winning products are sold in leading natural and gourmet specialty stores. Demeter's Pantry is the exclusive importer for leading Greek artisan specialty food brands such as Taste of Crete, Biolea, Ta Myelia and Apipharm. Their products include Gold award winning Taste of Crete PDO Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Apipharm raw honeys, Biolea stone ground organic olive oil - a Top Five "Must Have for 2007" in Food & Wine Magazine, and the Ta Mylelia line of preserves and savories, winner of numerous awards throughout Europe. They were 2007 finalists in American Express' Make Mine a Million Business Program for Women Entrepreneurs. More recently, Demeter's Pantry won the 2007 Small Business Vitality Award from the Somerset Business Partnership.

Columbus Distributors represents Demeter's Pantry in Northern California at (510) 921-3577 and on-line at www.columbus-distributing.com). Demeter's Pantry can be reached directly at either their New Jersey office at (908) 685-2035 or their Maryland office at (301) 587-0048. Their award winning products can be seen on the Demeter's Pantry website at www.demeterspantry.com.

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