meet Elli & manos

Elli Nikolaou and Manolis (Manos for short) Passoulas are the creators of the unique Greek Flavor Bursts that are the pride of the Elli & Manos line. They had an unlikely start to their new chapter in life: Elli was a corporate occupational psychologist and Manos was a mathematician/IT specialist.  But their love of cooking and creating meant they were always playing around with the recipes of their youth.  Food was their passion and they finally decided to make it their career, leaving the corporate world to establish their own company outside of Athens in 2011.  

Their kitchen became their testing ground, as Elli & Manos invited family and friends to taste their creations.  In today’s Greece, crisis or no crisis, food is still a central part of everyday life, and everyone was happy to oblige, coming to taste and give advice (also a Greek tradition!).  But the real torture test was the Greek mother and grandmother, and when Elli & Manos got their special seal of approval, they knew they were in business.

The next step proved to be the hardest. Taking a homemade recipe from the kitchen to a production line is no small task, especially as Elli & Manos insisted on only using only their usual natural ingredients, with no additives, no preservatives, no colorants.  After much trial and error, they pulled it off.  The Elli & Manos line of Greek Flavor Bursts gives you an intense punch of authentic Greek flavor, without shipping you big jars full of water, thanks to a high ingredient concentration you just can’t find in other products.  Elli & Manos want the culinary experience of their products to start with the twist of the lid, that first smell, the thick texture, and finally the taste.  They believe in intense flavors that make every bite thrilling, tantalizing every one of your taste buds.

Elli & Manos’ unique Greek Flavor Bursts give you incredible versatility to use them any way you like.  Have a hankering for a bruschetta with an extra punch of flavor? Try Elli & Manos’ tomato-based bursts on your favorite crusty bread.  Want to give a bit more zest to your fish, chicken, or pasta recipes?  Then Elli & Manos’ vegetable-based bursts are for you!

Zelos is proud to bring Elli & Manos’ Greek Flavor Bursts to the US for foodies like you to have just as much fun in the kitchen as Elli & Manos did when creating them.  Read more about Elli’s passion for food and flavor on our Zealous Stories blog for a personal view of life in Greece and how she and Manos started their company "from the ashes of the Greek crisis".

Elli & Manos is ISO 22000 certified as meeting international food safety management standards.