About us

Company history, tradition and then …

Founded in 1962, KRINI® is one of the first importers of Mediterranean specialities in the German-speaking world with its headquarters just outside Stuttgart.

 

The special DNA, a mixture of Swabian reliability and Mediterranean passion, makes the noticeable difference.

 

My Swabian mother Karin (born in Swabian Maulbronn) and Greek father Lefteris Kristallidis (born in Alexandria – Egypt) founded the company “L. Kristallidis – Foreign Specialities” at that time. As there were no supermarkets at that time, the main customers were mainly Greek wholesalers and retailers, gastronomy and private households.

Whenever possible, even as a child I was allowed to accompany my father on his often adventurous shopping trips (e.g. by train from Stuttgart to Athens and from there no less arduous onward to the suppliers).

In spite of many obstacles and doubters, it was precisely these formative impressions that allowed me to join the company in my early twenties and, with the support of highly motivated employees and like-minded suppliers, to create a “jewel” from the “rough diamond KRINI®“.

 

The fact that I have been personally selecting the specialities on site at the producer since I joined the company should only be mentioned here for the sake of completeness. Only in this way, can I vouch for the first-class quality and what we do every day by means of a picture, quality promise and signature on every product

No matter where I look for culinary surprises: my credo is: “Very good quality at a good price – not the other way round”, because a conspicuously low price usually also involves a risk. Not only those who have to look at the cent know that a bad buy is always more expensive.

 

And if a product cannot be procured in the typical KRINI® quality (e.g. due to the harvest), we prefer to temporarily suspend the purchase instead of expecting the consumer (and thus us) to compromise.

According to the motto “Cobbler, stick to your last” we always remain true to our core competence as a proven specialist for Mediterranean specialties.