Today we’d like to introduce you to Dimitri Samaras.
Hi dimitri, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My family’s baklava story began long before Yia Yia’s Baklava existed. The recipe has been passed down through five generations, beginning with my great-great-grandmother, who brought it with her when she immigrated to America from Asia Minor in the early 1900s. It eventually found its way to my mom, Christine, who learned to make baklava at just five years old by standing on a bench beside her own mother, carefully buttering each delicate layer of phyllo.
For decades, my mom shared that tradition at local farmers’ markets and independent grocery stores throughout our community. She built the business one tray at a time, not chasing rapid growth, but focusing on quality, relationships, and family. When I was growing up and struggling with dyslexia, she even turned down opportunities to expand because she wanted the flexibility to be there for me. The baklava she sold helped pay for the tutoring that changed my life, and I’ll never forget the sacrifices she made to give me every opportunity to succeed.
After graduating from Penn State with a degree in Business Management and Marketing, I knew our family’s recipe deserved a larger audience. In 2021, I told my mom, “We’re going to share your baklava with the world.” Together, we officially launched Yia Yia’s Baklava.
We started by supplying wholesale accounts, farmers’ markets, and local retailers, slowly building a loyal following. As demand grew, we opened our first brick-and-mortar bakery in Colmar, Pennsylvania, allowing us to expand production while creating a place where customers could experience our family’s story firsthand.
Today, we’re blending tradition with creativity. Alongside our original family recipe, we introduced a rotating menu of seasonal and modern flavors created with my wife, Leticia, whose creativity has helped transform our bakery into an experience customers look forward to every week. Whether someone visits for our classic walnut baklava or one of our newest flavor creations, every piece is still made with the same care and family recipe that has been passed down for generations.
For us, Yia Yia’s Baklava has never just been about dessert. It’s about honoring the sacrifices that came before us, preserving our family’s heritage, and creating new memories around the table. Every box we ship and every customer we meet is another opportunity to continue a story that began more than a century ago.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
When people see Yia Yia’s Baklava today, they see a growing bakery. What they don’t see are the sacrifices that made it possible.
When I was growing up, I struggled with dyslexia and needed specialized tutoring. My mom was determined to make sure I had every opportunity to succeed. She worked two jobs while also spending her weekends at farmers’ markets selling homemade baklava. Every tray she sold helped pay for my tutoring and gave me the support I needed to overcome challenges in school. Looking back, I realize Yia Yia’s Baklava wasn’t just supporting our family—it was investing in my future.
Years later, when we officially launched the business together, we faced another major obstacle. Our goal was to get Yia Yia’s Baklava into grocery stores and large distributors, but we quickly learned that our fresh, preservative-free baklava didn’t have the shelf life those channels required. Extending it meant investing in commercial packaging equipment that cost more than $70,000—far beyond what a young family business could afford.
Instead of taking on debt or compromising the quality of our product, we made a difficult decision to pivot.
Rather than trying to compete with large manufacturers, we leaned into what made us different. Every Monday we release four brand-new, handcrafted flavors alongside our traditional family recipes. That rotating menu keeps our customers excited, gives them a reason to visit week after week, and allows us to stay creative while baking everything fresh in small batches.
Looking back, both challenges taught us the same lesson: sometimes the obstacle becomes the opportunity. The same determination that helped my mom build a business to support our family is the same mindset that continues to shape Yia Yia’s Baklava today. We don’t always take the easiest path—we take the one that lets us stay true to our family recipe, our quality, and the people who support us.
As you know, we’re big fans of Yia Yias Baklava. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Yia Yia’s Baklava is a family-owned bakery built on a five-generation Greek recipe that has been passed down for over 100 years. While we honor our family’s traditional methods, we’ve also reimagined what baklava can be for today’s customers.
We began by supplying local farmers’ markets, independent grocery stores, and wholesale accounts before opening our first retail bakery in Colmar, Pennsylvania. Every piece is still handcrafted in small batches using premium ingredients and the same family recipe my mother learned from her own mother as a young child.
What truly sets us apart is our balance of tradition and innovation. Alongside our classic Walnut and Pistachio baklava, we release four brand-new handcrafted flavors every Monday, giving customers something new to discover every week. That rotating menu has become one of the hallmarks of our brand, creating excitement while allowing us to stay creative without compromising quality.
Today, we ship our baklava nationwide, serve customers in our bakery, and continue growing our corporate gifting program. Whether someone is enjoying our traditional recipe for the first time or trying one of our weekly creations, our goal is always the same—to create an unforgettable experience that brings people together.
More than anything, we’re proud that every box of Yia Yia’s Baklava represents five generations of family tradition, hard work, and a commitment to making every customer feel like part of our family.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
I’ve been fortunate to have mentors in different ways throughout my life. My biggest mentor has always been my older brother, Chris. He started his own business about 20 years ago, and I had the opportunity to help him as he built it from the ground up. Watching him overcome challenges taught me one of the most valuable lessons I’ve ever learned: don’t give up. Every business will face obstacles, but if you’re willing to keep learning, stay persistent, and work through the problems, you’ll usually find a solution.
I’ve also learned that mentors don’t always have to be people you meet in person. I’ve never been a big reader, but once entrepreneurship became a passion of mine, I started listening to audiobooks and learning from successful entrepreneurs. One person who has had a big impact on the way I think about business is Alex Hormozi. His focus on creating real value for customers, building strong offers, and making decisions based on long-term growth rather than short-term wins has influenced the way I approach Yia Yia’s Baklava.
My advice is to never stop learning. Whether your mentor is a family member, a business owner in your community, or someone you’ve never met but learn from through books and podcasts, stay curious and keep asking questions. Every conversation has the potential to teach you something that can change your business.
Pricing:
- 4-Pack Gift Box: $42
- 6-Pack Gift Box: $60
- 9-Pack Gift Box: $86
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.yiayiasbaklava.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yiayias_baklava
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yiayiasbaklavallc/
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/tCfHMUsYBLo?si=vXN_QqImwaMYwD63
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@yiayiasbaklava
