Yaya’s Skordalia: A healthy twist on a tasty tradition

The Journey

For founding entrepreneur Michael Anagnos, “Success is not just a bank account; it’s about enjoying the journey and realizing overcoming challenges can make life even better.” But with FFI’s help, Michael has led his company, Yaya’s Skordalia, on a journey that includes impressive growth, expansion, and success.

Building on the training, support, and network they got as participants in the FFI Fellows program, they’ve refined their branding, solidified their web presence, automated systems (from ice cream scoops to fillers), and leaned into the retail channel. 

At the heart of Yaya’s success is a unique product: “Greek families have been eating skordalia for generations, and when I started to make it for my own family I put a modern twist on it to highlight the fresh, bold flavors of simple real food ingredients,” says Michael. Traditionally, skordalia is a Greek almond dip that contains stale bread as an ingredient, which Yaya’s substitutes with sweet potatoes, creating a nutrition-packed food. Yaya’s skordalia fits many dietary needs because it’s dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegetarian. It also contains no additives or preservatives. It’s often used as an alternative to mayonnaise and hummus; as a spread on burgers and wraps; a salad dressing; and even an ingredient in other dishes.

Yaya’s skordalia fits many dietary needs because it’s dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegetarian.

“It’s like having a YaYa [Greek grandmother] right there in the kitchen ready to help you turn any simple snack or meal into a family favorite at a moment’s notice,” says Michael.

Winning Prizes, Growing Sales

YaYa’s Skordalia was part of the FFI Fellows program in 2022. That year, the business was selling in farmers markets and had a local Milwaukee account or two. They were looking to expand into retail and really grow the brand. FFI helped connect Michael to the Wisconsin SBDC, which helped YaYa’s enter Project Pitch It, a reality show where Wisconsin entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to leading business moguls who challenge the participants to take their ventures to the next level. “We won!,” Michael recalls. “We used the prize money to help pay staff and to purchase a refrigerated truck.” FFI also connected him with branding specialist Real Food Brands, which helped him get ready for retail markets and a broader base of consumers. 

Through the Fellows program, Michael got access to deep expertise, coaching, and a network that helped him tackle the most pertinent tasks to move the needle, whether it was putting together a go to market strategy, focusing on automating production systems, or revisiting branding and pricing for retail.

Soon the business expanded to wholesale distribution. “Sendik’s Fine Foods gave me my big shot in May 2023,” Michael said. “Sendik’s Markets followed, and now we’ve even extended our wholesale business to outside Wisconsin.”

A Network of Support

FFI’s annual Food Finance Forum and Expo provided opportunities for both much-needed in person peer networking and important buyer connections. “I was sampling at the 2025 forum and then looked up and saw Jason [Mitchell] from Outpost Natural Foods right in front of me – I had been trying to land this account for months, and it was there he said it was time.” 

Michael appreciates the ongoing, ever-present support the peers he connected with through his FFI Fellows cohort, whether picking up the phone or offering hugs out “in the wild” to lend support, or through recommendations for contacts or solutions to pain points.   

“Michael’s energy is almost limitless,” Brad Rostowfske, Michael’s coach in the FFI Fellows program said, “With that energy and talent and the resources we offered him, he was able to transition from a farmers market icon to a food industry up-and-coming brand. He really leveraged everything we had to offer in terms of maximizing his value potential to build business and financial plans toward three-year growth goals.”