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SMALL BUSINESS
Some things in life are a family affair.
Eleni Hillas and brother Peter Georgatsos run Fotis & Son Imports Inc., a company that carries on their dad's passion for olive oil. The Huntington Beach company has yearly sales of $15 million to $20 million.
Fotis & Son makes and imports Greek products such as olive oil, olives, cheese, pasta, beer and wine. It owns several Greek product lines: olive oil and olives under the Olga brand, beer under the Hillas brand and pizzas under the Pitza brand.
Fotis & Son also sells gyro meat from Chicago and products from Turkey and Spain.
The company runs out of a 17,000-square-foot headquarters in Surf City and an 8,000-square-foot office in Chicago. It owns four trucks and employs about 30 people.
Fotis & Son supplies products to grocery stores such as Whole Foods. Bristol Farms and Mother's Market & Kitchen. It also sells to food companies, restaurants, delis and hotels. Rivals include other Greek food sellers such as Titan Foods Inc. in New York and Maryland's Demeter's Pantry.
Company founder Fotis Georgatsos-dad of Eleni and Peter-was an engineer before starting the business in 1976.
Georgatsos came to Illinois from Greece in the 1950s. He learned English and packed candy at Brach's Confections Inc. to raise money for college.
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