I love olive oil. An ancient gift from the goddess Athena. Buttery, grassy, fresh, peppery. Delicious. We use it in our home every day, on every thing. It’s important to find a good one. And we sure have found a good one…
Introducing Zoi (formerly known as Aethalis). A certified regenerative, single origin, extra virgin olive oil.
We sat down with Will, one of the founders of Zoi olive oil, to find out more about this liquid gold and what makes it so special.
It’s been a long time coming, we’ve both been partnered with Planet Minimal in London and we’ve long since shared the same goals in trying to drive single-use plastic out of our supply chain. Ever since Planet Minimal closed, we’d been trying to work out a way to work together to help close the loop. You’ll be hearing more about the ways in which we’ll be working together to reduce waste from Fillville soon.
Fill has always been about more than bottles on shelves. It’s about pushing refill as a way of thinking. Closing loops. Backing better products, supplied in a closed loop.
WHO ARE YOU?
Hello, I’m William Uden. I make olive oil.
WHAT IS ZOI?
Zoi (rhymes with joy) means ‘life’ in Greek!
Zoi is the new name for the popular brand of closed loop olive oil formerly known as Aethalis. Europe’s first officially certified regenerative and closed loop olive oil. The most sustainably made olive oil ever produced!
Zoi is run by me and our expert olive grower, Ilias Panagiotakopoulos.
HOW DID YOU WIND UP DOING WHAT YOU DO?
It’s a very long story so I’ll try and condense it.
I met Ilias at a production studio in Farringdon, London. He had lied his way into a creative role by pretending to be some big-shot theatre director. He was not a big-shot theatre director! I was an actor at the time and was asked to work with him. We bonded over football and quickly became very good friends. His secret was safe with me.
After a few years and many whacky adventures, Ilias’ father passed away. He inherited the family olive groves. The groves were in a bad state but we decided to try and make some olive oil. At first I sold it at farmers markets in London until I came across the Zero Waste movement and the rest is history!
WHY IS ZOI A COOL PLACE TO BE?
Because, like everyone in the closed loop movement, we’re constantly pushing boundaries and pioneering refill. Ironically, refilling used to be something everyone just did back in the day!
WHAT MATTERS THE MOST TO YOU ABOUT WHAT YOU’RE CREATING?
Number 1 is always taste. You have to have something that people actually enjoy tasting or cooking with, or nothing else matters. But saying that, if we weren’t able to make the oil in a way that goes above and beyond to regenerate the grove and its surroundings, we wouldn’t be doing what we’re doing. There are lots of amazing olive oils and the only way we felt comfortable running the business was if we could do it in a way that fit with our ethos and commitment to responsibility.
WHAT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT TAKE AWAY WHEN IT COMES TO OLIVE OIL?
Don’t buy blended oils! Look on the back of the pack and if it reads ‘contains oils from EU and non-EU countries’ then put it back. Most supermarket oils under £7.50 are likely to be blended. Why blend? Because you can mix up older and inferior-quality cheaper oils and bump up your margins.
Also, check the best-before-date to work out when it was harvested. Fresh is best. BBE for oil is 18 months. So, for example, our oil harvested in November 2025 will have a BBE of May 2027.
WHY IS WHAT YOU’RE DOING DIFFERENT?
We’re demonstrably and transparently sustainable through each part of the chain. From being the first certified regenerative olive grove in Greece to being the first closed loop olive oil company in Europe.
WHAT’S ON THE HORIZON?
We’re stocked in over 150 shops and restaurants. The next step is to start taking what we’ve learned from our zero waste stores and getting refills into regular businesses.
IF YOU WEREN’T RUNNING ZOI WHAT WOULD YOU BE DOING?
I would almost definitely be on tour. I’m a puppeteer, and before the olive oil, I spent a lot of time performing around the world. Weirdly perhaps, I find olive oil a lot more exciting.
TELL US HOW FILL X ZOI CAME ABOUT?
I was introduced to the lovely people at Fill by a shared acquaintance, Hamish from Planet Minimal. We’ve been in touch regularly over the past 18 months to try to get a collaboration off the ground. This year, the stars have aligned and we’re both in a position to make it happen!
WHY SHOULD WE ALL BE MOVING TOWARDS A CIRCULAR WAY OF LIVING?
Because the earth has finite resources. However, we have more than enough to go around if we look after them. Circular living is one way that people can help to do that.
HOW CAN WE MAKE IT EASIER FOR PEOPLE?
We start by shifting the responsibility away from the individual and onto our own shoulders. We make it as simple and easy for people to refill as possible. It is up to companies to provide solutions. If bigger organisations won’t do it, we will!
The next part is for us to offer amazing, affordable products, made ethically. Things that people want. We tell our stories and make our case for why closed loop is such an integral part of the story. The refilling is part of the brand not an obstruction.
BEST MOMENT SINCE STARTING ZOI?
The rebranded Zoi olive oil has only been up and running for about 6 weeks, but the best part so far has been the reaction from people upon seeing our new branding. When you’ve been working on something for so long, you can start to lose sight of what it is you’re actually trying to say. Thankfully it seems like we’ve got it right so far.
HOW DO YOU ESCAPE?
Music. Wales. Not always in that order.
A VALUABLE LESSON
Always make sure to ask for a deposit up front!
RECOMMEND SOMETHING
The Mabinogion. A collection of Welsh myths. It’s an absolute banger.
WHO/WHAT IS YOUR INSPIRATION?
Jurgen Klopp.
THINGS YOU COULDN’T LIVE WITHOUT
Good bread and good olive oil!
LAST SONG YOU CHOSE TO LISTEN TO
Chris Wood – One In A Million
