Before olive groves in the Peloponnese became part of his life, Kevin Duncan had already spent decades creating worlds built around emotion, atmosphere and human connection. As an accomplished Broadway producer whose work spans theatre, music and large-scale charitable initiatives, Kevin learnt how people experience story.
Olive oil, however, introduced him to a quieter kind of storytelling.
I first met Kevin while we were studying together in Valencia, Spain through the Escuela Superior del Aceite de Oliva (ESAO) and somewhere between the tastings and classes, we had discussions and long conversations about Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and how to bring this new chapter to life.
What struck me quite quickly was that Kevin and his business partner Donald Scott-Montgomery were not approaching olive oil as a trend or a luxury accessory. Kevin spoke about it with genuine curiosity and with the kind of respect that usually only comes after spending real time listening to producers, walking groves and understanding how fragile the entire process actually is.
Kevin and Donald’s grove in Ermioni in the Peloponnese therefore became the starting point for something much larger. Not just a business, but a way of bringing together many of the things that had already shaped Kevin’s life: storytelling, culture and art. It was the perfect collaboration of all Kevin’s talents. That connection becomes very clear through his latest project, Τέχνη Ελαίας (The Artistry of Olive Oil), a concept that positions exceptional Extra Virgin Olive Oil with the kind of reverence it deserves. The idea feels surprisingly natural coming from someone whose career has long existed within creative spaces. Theatre and olive oil may seem worlds apart, but they both rely on timing and craftsmanship.
The annual “Harvest Artists Series”, which commissions contemporary locally Greek artists to create work for each harvest release, reflects this intersection beautifully. Rather than separating agriculture from the arts, Kevin’s vision places them in conversation with one another. The bottle becomes part of the story of that particular harvest, that season and those people behind it.
What makes the concept feel grounded is the social mission behind it. A portion of proceeds from the series supports scholarships for Greek students in the arts as well as those in agricultural studies, something that aligns naturally with Kevin’s long history of charitable and philanthropic work. In many ways, it feels like a continuation of values that have followed him throughout his career: using creative platforms as a way to to make opportunities for others grow.
There is also something quite fitting about this transition into olive oil. After years spent working in industries built around spectacle, Kevin wants something slower and more permanent. An olive grove represents the timing and long-term thinking that I think he craves. The harvest and what goes into it, has some real-world considerations like weather and soil quality. This isn’t to say that he is moving away from the world of theatre, quite the contrary. He is fueled by it and it is the theatre that informs Kevin’s creative thinking around Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Essentially, at the heart of both theatre and Extra Virgin Olive Oil is the desire to make people feel something.
That is perhaps what I appreciated most while getting to know Kevin. Beyond the professional accomplishments and ambitious projects, he holds a genuine belief that Extra Virgin Olive Oil carries culture and memory in a way many people overlook.
In an industry that can sometimes become overly technical or commercial, projects like The Artistry of Olive Oil remind us that olive oil also belongs in the world of culture and creativity. Perhaps that is exactly why Kevin Duncan’s journey into this world feels less like a career shift and more like a natural evolution of everything he was already creating.
