"Honor Over Gold" – A conversation with Charilaos Gounaras, founder of 8:26 Histories
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"Honor Instead of Gold" – A Conversation with Charilaos Gounaras, Founder of 8:26 Histories
Some brands emerge from a market gap. And then there are brands that are born from conviction – from a story that wants to be told. 8:26 Histories is clearly the latter. We met with Charilaos Gounaras, the founder behind this extraordinary Greek delicatessen brand, and wanted to know: What's really behind it?
Charilaos, behind the name "8:26 Histories" lies a story that goes back 2,500 years. Tell us about it.
The name comes from Herodotus's Histories – the books of the ancient Greek historian who, about 2,500 years ago, wrote down the history of the then-known world from a Greek perspective. In the eighth book, paragraph 26, he mentions the olive wreath for the very first time – as a prize for the victors of the Olympic Games. No money, no gold. Just a wreath of olive branches. It was about honor, about the glory of achievement.
That immediately inspired us. These values – quality, integrity, pride in craftsmanship – fit perfectly with what we want to embody with our brand. And the personal occasion was: My family has been producing its own olive oil on Evia for generations. I wanted to bring this oil to Germany – not just to sell it, but to create real added value for small producers and to introduce people here to products of truly exceptional quality.
Your products come from two regions: Evia and Crete. What connects you to these places?
Evia is my home. My mother comes from the village of Psachna in Central Evia – and that's where our olive groves are located. That's where our olive oil is produced, bottled, and sent out into the world. It's the heart of our work.
Evia is a peninsula that many don't know – and that's exactly what's important to me. Exceptional products are created there that hardly anyone abroad has on their radar. I want to change that. In the future, I will offer even more from Evia.
I deliberately included Crete because the island is known for its wild, pristine nature – and because I found very small family businesses there that literally hand-harvest their herbs and salts from the mountains. These people often have no way to sell their products abroad. Giving them a platform – that's one of our core principles.
What touches your customers in Germany the most?
Many appreciate that we are a small, exclusive company – with limited products and a real story behind them. The design of our bottles is very well received; we really worked on it for a whole year, and it shows.
But in the end, it's the taste that surprises people. In Central and Northern Europe, people are simply not used to tasting such natural, unadulterated products. The first time, it can almost feel strange. A good business partner of mine once put it very aptly: "We here in the North are afraid of bitterness. We believe that if something is bitter, it's bad – like medicine. But that's all we know. We have to relearn that now."
He's right. But I already see a big movement in this direction – awareness of real, traditional foods is growing.
How do you explain the difference to someone who has never really tasted good olive oil?
It's simple: a good olive oil always has taste and aroma. It's fruity, slightly piquant, perhaps a little bitter – and that's a sign of quality. This bitterness comes from polyphenols, secondary plant compounds that are extraordinarily healthy for body and mind.
An olive oil that tastes neutral or has little aroma is not a good sign – it could even have a defect. Yes, olive oil can go bad. What you find in the supermarket is usually exactly that: neutral, cheap, without character. Such products of true quality are, of course, worth their price – but the difference on the first sip is unmistakable.
You regularly host tasting events in Munich. What's an evening like?
We meet on weekends in a beautiful venue in Munich. The goal is to show the people of Munich how versatile olive oil can be – different regions, varieties, aromas, flavors. It starts with a short presentation about us and the science behind olive oil. Then we taste four to five samples together – and finally, there's a food pairing: How does this oil harmonize with bread, cheese, tomatoes? What happens when you combine it with different ingredients?
Everyone who has participated so far has been thrilled. That really makes me happy – because that's the moment when I realize: This work has meaning.
And finally: What's your favorite combination from your own range?
(laughs) A classic Greek salad – with my Manaki-Throubolia olive oil from the white bottle and my herb salt. That makes the salad truly unique. Simple, honest, unbeatable.
8:26 Histories offers premium olive oils, herbs, and salts from Greece – as well as regular tasting events in Munich. histories.shop