Galery

3

2

1

Victoria Mindova 

We all know about the beauty of Greek islands, the clear emerald waters, golden beaches and hot sun. One of the islands, which differs only in one of these descriptions is the island of Santorini, which is famous for its volcanic soil and especially with its legendary beautiful sunset. Other unique advantages of the volcanic island with which it will soon become famous are the locally produced wine, the gourmet pea-like plant called Fava from Santorini and the small, tasteful tomatoes, which cannot be found anywhere else. Stella Kasiola is the Marketing and Exports Director of the Santorini union of producers and she tells our GRReporter readers more about the ambitions of the local producers. 

First, can you please tell us why the products of Santorini are so unique? 

First and foremost the unique quality of the island is its microclimate and its volcanic soil. In addition, it rarely rains in Santorini, which makes the crops drought-resistant, it contributes to shaping the taste and makes the products unique. Characteristic of the island are the Assyrtiko variety grapes, which makes the wine high on acidity and minerals - properties acquired from the soil. 

The Fava from Santorini was included in the list of agricultural crops with protected names and origin. It is unique because it can only thrive on the island, and archaeological studies have found that it was growing on this volcanic land even during the late Minoan period, or approximately 3500 years ago. Typical of our Fava is that it is much richer in carbohydrates than any other grain crop of its kind, it is sweeter in taste and has softer tissue. 

The small Santorini tomatoes are our other pride, mainly because of the taste. Usually they are as big as cherries, but on the inside they are extremely dense, with extremely strong aroma and are very sweet. Our association produces sauce from the island tomato and tomato paste, which is three times more densely than other purees on the market. Because of its high taste and its rich aroma during cooking the puree from Santorini tomato can give a good taste to any dish with a much smaller quantity compared to other canned tomatoes. 

How many members does your union have and what do they do? 

Union unites all farmers of Santorini, which produce mainly grapes, the gourmet peas 'Fava' and local small tomatoes. Farmers give us the harvest and we are responsible for producing wine, the Santorini tomato products and processing of local Fava. We are also responsible for marketing and distributing the final product. We are cooperating with about 1100 farmers who give us their production. 

At the moment are your product more known on the domestic or the foreign market? 

Currently the majority of our sales are domestic nevertheless we have a substantial portion of production allocated to exports. Mainly in Europe and the U.S., but we have ambitions to strengthen our position there and to spread to other markets. 

How does your promotion initiative of Santorini products influence the industry on the island? 

In the past three years, the Fava production in Santorini doubled. Thanks to the efforts of the union, which is also the founder of the only factory for processing tomatoes on the island, we managed to increase the demand and gave impetus to the local population and farmers to start planting tomatoes and Fava. 

To what extent does the increased tourist flow to Santorini hinder with the development of production and trade? 

In any case I cannot say that it hinders with it. On the contrary, of course that after Santorini became such a popular tourist destination as it is today, the new generation of local residents prefer in many cases to lag behind in farming and to utilize the land for the development of tourist services. This led to some imbalance in the economic model of the area, but this is exactly why we have put as our goal to combine tourism with gastronomy. We want Santorini to become popular with its livelihood, agriculture and especially with its unique products, not just with the famous sunset. 

What aid do you receive from the state in your attempts to increase production on the island and to promote Greek cuisine? 

Our union guarantees subsidies to all its members – the farmers. This is a financial stimulus, with which regardless of the current situation, we can support them so that they can continue to produce. Moreover, there are different programs for development and promotion of wines. At one point the campaigns were mainly for Europe, but now they are also place in North America. The aim is first for people to learn about the Santorini wines and their qualities and characteristics, then we will see and increases sales. 

Finally what is your purpose? Is there determined size of production you want to export and trade and if so, what is it? 

Anyway, Santorini is an island and the area is limited. For now we want our wines to become known, for people to be able to assess their true qualities, so that we can sell them at prices worth their uniqueness.