Women of Borough Market: Marianna
To mark International Women’s Day, some of Borough Market’s female traders, staff and trustees share their experiences as women in the food industry. Today, Marianna Kolokotroni of Oliveology on Greek food, female farmers and motherhood
“LOTS OF MY WHOLESALE CUSTOMERS ARE FEMALE-LED OR FEMALE-OWNED BUSINESSES. THERE’S A LOT OF LOYALTY THERE.”
Interview: Ellie Costigan
I was brought up helping my mum and grandmother in the kitchen – they were both amazing cooks. We’d prepare meals together, dry and preserve things, make jams and molasses. Food has always been a really big part of my life, so it was natural to want to work with it.
When I came to the UK to study, I really missed Greek food. Finding the ingredients of my heritage was difficult, so I’d bring everything back with me. My mum would stuff my suitcase with olives, honey – even tomatoes and lemons, it’s crazy! I was upset that Greek products were really underrepresented outside of Greece. Starting Oliveology was a way of bringing me closer to my heritage and childhood. All of the things I have learned, experienced, cooked and tasted, I can pass on to others.
I am very passionate about organic farming and very interested in how farmers grow things. Interestingly, a lot of the producers I work with are women. In Greece women still commonly run the household, but things have started to change and more women are becoming involved in farming. My herb producer, who works with semi-cultivated, semi-wild land, is a woman. My truffle supplier is a woman. My honey is produced by a couple: the husband does the beekeeping and the wife runs the business. All of my producers are really small scale and the whole family is usually involved.
I am close with a lot of women in the Market, too. We support each other. We go through similar things, so we compare experiences and share tips. Lots of my wholesale customers are female-led or female-owned businesses, which I don’t think is a coincidence. There’s a lot of loyalty there.
Everyone who works with me is similarly passionate about our food and its provenance. We want people to value the quality of the food they put on their plate and understand why it matters – how your shopping choices affect your body, the farmers, the land, everything. For me, that’s more important than the financial aspect. Even if I lose money, I will never compromise. It’s quite an emotional approach. Maybe that’s to do with the fact that I’m a woman – or it might just be my personality.
I think that becoming a mother has shaped the way I approach my business, and food generally. When you own the company, there’s no maternity leave – you can’t take a year off – so it’s been hard. But you learn to adapt, and you keep going. I bring my son Harry along to everything. He has been part of my team from a very young age! Luckily, everything I sell is perfect for a child – what I would advocate for adults to eat I also want for my own child.
We’ve always done cookery classes and food workshops for adults. Now, we’ve started doing kids’ cooking workshops too. I want to inspire children to try different things from a young age, explore different textures, learn where food comes from and what real ingredients look like. I think it’s really important. I get Harry involved a lot in preparing and cooking food and I’m trying to inspire other mums to do the same.
