doing business as
Ellenos Real Greek Yogurt
Customers can’t get enough of
this yogurt made with a simple
recipe, fresh local ingredients
and old-fashioned methods.
founded: 2011
headquarters: Seattle
what it makes: Creamy, rich yogurt using traditional
was struck. They built their production facility in Georgetown,
just north of Boeing Field, opened the Pike Place yogurt outlet
in 2013, and the yogurt is now sold in a number of high-end
markets and online at ellenos.com.
Greek methods and just four ingredients: local milk, local
honey, yogurt culture and a little cane sugar, plus a variety of
seasonal toppings. The Seattle Times called their yogurt “the
dairy equivalent of crack cocaine.”
what’s in a name?: “Ellenos” is derived from “Hellenic,”
back story: Like great yogurt, this company took a long
time to create. Yvonne Klein was a flight attendant who
discovered the yogurt during stopovers in Australia. She
convinced her husband, Bob, to go Down Under to try it. That
was in 2000. They looked for a location in Seattle and bought
a produce stand in the heart of Pike Place Market in 2007.
They visited Australia again and finally met with the yogurt
makers to pitch the idea of expanding to America via Seattle.
Then they waited. In 2011, the Australians called and a deal
or Greek, plus “os,” for Oz, a nod to their Australian roots.
how’s business?: “We went from first gear to sixth gear,”
said co-owner Bob Klein, expanding at 10 percent per week
the first two years — a growth rate any business would gladly
welcome. Now they’ve maxed out their 10,000-square-foot
production facility and are looking for 30,000-50,000 square
feet more. Their goal is to expand into Oregon and California
over the next year and go national soon after.
words of wisdom: “There are so many average things
out there, if you excel, you’ll get noticed.” — Bob Klein,
co-owner, Ellenos Real Greek Yogurt Company.
—Brian Mittge
50 association of washington business