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| Nick Trastelis - Founder of Kalypso Greek Yogurt |
I’m
wandering the stalls at the Northport, Long Island Indoor Winter Farmer’s Market on a bright, chilly Saturday afternoon and can’t help but take note of
the palm-sized, rustic terracotta pots stacked high at a nearby booth. I’m instantly curious what they
contain.
So, I strike
up a conversation with Nick Trastelis, the founder of Kalypso Greek Yogurt. Nick has a warm and sunny
demeanor that conjures up thoughts of his Mediterranean heritage. I quickly learn that terracotta pots are the
traditional way of serving Greek yogurt. Nick is a fourth generation Greek
yogurt craftsman, and the terracotta pots contain his family recipe – an
impossibly thick and delicious artisanal strained Greek yogurt. I sample the Mango Kalypso Greek Yogurt and
I’m hooked. The company’s tag line,
“seductively delicious” is no exaggeration.
“We’ve been
making yogurt for over 100 years in my family,” Nick explains. “Everything is
crafted in-house at our facility in Jackson Heights – the fruits, the yogurt,
everything. The fruit bases are my
grandmother’s. Some of the newer flavors
like the Mango are mine.”
Nick’s
family was producing Greek yogurt professionally “before it was even in the
lexicon in North America.” Most of the
business was devoted to servicing restaurants, food service, and catering and
private label. But, inside these
charming terracotta pots is not only a venerable family recipe but also the
story of Nick’s personal food odyssey that occurred on the Greek island of
Mykonos.
Nick had
been living in Greece and noticed a little yogurt bar near a bus stop that
attracted flocks of tourists in Mykonos.
“They made the most amazing yogurt,” he explains. “So, I got talking to them and picking their
brains and it all just made sense.”
He returned
to the United States with a new vision.
“I came back to New York and said we’re changing everything we’ve been
doing for the last 27 years. I said,
enough of the private label, we’re going to start rolling out our own
individual cups.”
Kalypso Greek Yogurt comes in a variety of flavors, including Plain, Honey, Black
Cherry, Blueberry, Vanilla, Fig, and Mango and is non-fat. Nick uses 100 percent all natural
ingredients and each 6-ounce cup of Kalypso contains 150 to 200 mg of
calcium.
Nick has
infused the company and the product not only with tradition, but modern
environmental sensibilities as well. “I’m
actually trying to change the consciousness of food packaging and eating
healthier,” Nick explains. “So that’s
why we stick with tradition, serving the Greek yogurt in our terra cotta
cups. That’s how we did it back home, so
why deviate from that?”
“Landfills
are filled with plastic containers which take about 15 to 20 years to actually
break down,” he explains. “This terra
cotta cup goes back into the system in less than a couple of weeks. It’s a sustainable packaging.”
In the end,
what seems to inspire Nick most is the goodness and healthfulness of his
family’s recipe.
“It’s like
wanting to share this gift of nature,” he says.
“It’s such a simple product.
It’s fermented milk. It’s so
basic, and so good for you.”
Contact Nick at nick@kalypsoyogurt.com
Contact Nick at nick@kalypsoyogurt.com
