Katerina (Katina) Mountanos

Katerina (Katina) Mountanos is a serial entrepreneur and the Founder & CEO of Kosterina, a modern wellness company centered around high-antioxidant, early harvest, extra virgin olive oil from her native home in Southern Greece.12 Her passion for family, healthy living, and Greek culture led her to establish Kosterina in 2020, after years of enjoying olive oil pressed from her family's olive trees in Koroni.2

Professional Background

Mountanos has an impressive career history in various industries:

1. She began her career as a corporate investment banker at Citigroup, working in both New York and London offices.1
2. She worked as a marketing manager at L'Oreal USA, focusing on new brand and product innovation.1
3. She served as a beauty merchandiser on Soap.com at Quidsi and as the General Manager of BeautyBar.com.1
4. Prior to founding Kosterina, she led the brand incubation team for Walmart's US eCommerce division, managing a team of over 50 marketers and operators.1
5. She served as General Manager of the Home category for Jet, managing a $150+ million business.1
6. Mountanos co-founded and served as CEO of VC-backed Manicube, a company offering beauty and personal care services in corporate offices.1

Education

Katina holds a Bachelor of Science from New York University's Stern School of Business and an MBA from Harvard Business School.1

Kosterina

As the founder of Kosterina, Mountanos is committed to providing premium, high-quality Greek extra virgin olive oil to the US market. She became an olive oil sommelier during the development process of Kosterina's EVOO, ensuring that their product always has a high polyphenol (antioxidant) content.2 Under her leadership, Kosterina has expanded its product line to include vinegars, chocolates, olive oil cake, and skincare products.23

Personal Life

Katerina lives in the suburbs of New York City with her husband, Kostas (who inspired the "Kos" in Kosterina), and their three young children.12 She goes by "Katina" in English-speaking contexts but uses "Katerina" in Greek-speaking environments.2