In Greek culture, the olive tree is a sacred symbol representing peace, prosperity, and love. For centuries, olive trees were included in marriage dowries, in which they were often split equally between the newlyweds and the bride’s family to keep the two connected for future generations.
In Palaiopanagia, a small village south of Sparta at the foot of the Taïgetos mountains, a family-owned olive grove dates back to the early 1700s. It’s the family grove of Christophile Konstas, owner of Perk! Coffee & Lunchbox—or Perk, for short—a café in Richmond’s Bon Air neighborhood. Every year, her family’s olives and olive oil make their way 5,000 miles across the Atlantic to Richmond.
“I’ve always had access to this amazing olive oil that comes from where my family comes from, and so I started thinking about bringing it here and selling it once I opened Perk,” says Konstas. Her parents brought their family’s olive oil and olives with them when they immigrated from Greece in the 1960s and ’70s. Growing up, they always had a can of their olive oil in the pantry. It was all Konstas knew of olive oil until she noticed her friends buying what she considered inferior oil at the grocery store.
In 2020, Konstas began pursuing the dream of importing her family’s extra virgin olive oil to the States. “My way of staying connected to my family’s Greek culture has always been based around food,” says Konstas. “Obviously, the cornerstone of Greek cuisine is its olive oil. Realizing that there was so much value in sharing that with my customers at Perk and my community in general was what inspired me to bring it here and to get it out there.”
Perk’s baker, Kathi Gennett, uses the olive oil in baked goods like the coffee shop’s spanikopita handpies, and Konstas reasoned that people would be interested in using it for their own home cooking too. So she secured a permit to import the olive oil and began working with Riddle Designs to create packaging for the brand, which she called Peraspori. “Pera” translates to “beyond,” and “spori” means seed. The name reflects the deep connection to not only the olives but also the land and people who have made the olive oil over the centuries.
Peraspori uses a blend of Koroneiki and a small percentage of Athinolia olives. Upon tasting, the extra virgin olive oil presents bright citrus notes that Konstas attributes to the close proximity of lemon and orange trees in the olive groves. There’s a peppery pop, a sharp earthiness, that ends in a buttery rich swell at the back of the throat. Because the olives are harvested and mashed on the same day, the greenish golden oil is rich in polyphenols, aromatic compounds with a variety of health benefits.
Following the 2024 harvest, Konstas introduced a “cook with me” blend of virgin olive oil in 3-liter cans. While the extra virgin Peraspori is ideal for finishing (and some cooking), the virgin olive oil is better suited for baking and cooking, including frying. In addition to olive oils, Konstas also sells her family’s cured kalamata olives, which are cured in a blend of olive oil and red wine vinegar, giving them what Konstas describes as a “velvety, rich flavor.” She uses the seasoned oil and vinegar brine to dress salads when the olives are finished.
Through teaching weekly Greek school lessons and making regular trips to her family’s home in Greece, Konstas says she’s able to maintain her connection to her Greek culture. And by importing her family’s oil, she’s able to share that connection with her community in Richmond. “Food is one of those cultural bridges for a lot of people,” Konstas says. “I get to share this piece of my family with my greater community here in Richmond, and I feel really lucky that I get to do that.”
Liquid Gold
Tips for choosing excellent olive oil.
- Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) refers to the first pressing of olives, in which no heat or chemicals are added. The cold-pressed olive oil is considered unrefined and contains the lowest percentage of “free acidity,” less than 0.8 percent.
- Virgin olive oil is also considered unrefined and contains no more than 2% free acidity, which means it’s still an excellent choice for cooking. It is less intense in flavor compared to EVOO.
- Look for olive oil with a harvest date on the bottle. The fresher the oil, the better.
- When tasting, choose olive oils with a floral or fruity top note and a peppery burn at the back of the throat.
- Opt for olive oils that are packaged in opaque or dark containers. Light and heat will quickly degrade fresh olive oil.
Striking Oil
Where to find the best olive oils around the Commonwealth.
Abingdon Olive Oil Co., 335 Cummings St., Abingdon, AbingdonOliveOilCo.com
Drizzles, 16 Strawberry St., Cape Charles, DrizzlesLLC.com
Manassas Olive Oil Co., 9406 Grant Ave., Manassas, ManassasOliveOil.com
Oliva, 1033 Emmet St. N., Charlottesville, OlivaOils.com
Olive Oil Taproom, 11400 W. Huguenot Rd., Suite 116, Midlothian, TheOliveOilTaproom.com
Richmond Olive Oil, 3545 W. Cary St., Richmond, RichmondOliveOil.com
Savor the Olive, 1624 Laskin Rd., #730, Virginia Beach, SavorTheOlive.com
So Olive, 125 Mill St., #10, Occoquan, SoOlive.com
Staunton Olive Oil Company, 126 W. Beverley St., Staunton, StauntonOliveOilCompany.com
Taste OVS, 815 Caroline St., Fredericksburg | 122A E. Davis St., Culpeper, TasteOVS.com
Valley Olive Oil & Balsamics, 42 Island Ford Rd., McGaheysville, ValleyOliveOil.net
This article originally appeared in the April 2025 issue.
