Mediterranean cuisine uses a lot of herbs, but mostly dried herbs. “Today fresh herbs are used in Greece, but not so long ago it was quite rare,” says Kostas Mavroskotis of Aroma Fresh Herbs in Greece. “We were the first company that introduced fresh herbs to the Greek market in the nineties." Aromatic herbs
Aroma offers a wide range of products. The company controls the entire chain of production, from seeds to sales. “We have our own repository of local varieties which we have collected from the mountains and keep them for reproduction. This is the source for our cuttings. We select specific varieties because we want the best flavour and the best aroma. And we believe in the balance of nature therefore we try to work as little as possible with chemicals. Our methods are fairly traditional and we believe in quality more than quantity. No mass production here, that’s how we distinguish ourselves. All our herbs are not grown in greenhouses but outside in open fields so as to take advantage of the microclimate which is a blessing for us.”
Convincing
Kostas continues: "I wanted to convince consumers and customers in Greece to eat more fresh herbs. That was, and still is, quite a battle, but we do notice that the consumption has increased in Greece. To expand and survive we have to export in future. And exporting to other countries, from Greece, was a logistic challenge, but that has changed for the better. The last five years there have been several positive developments, but it still is a challenge to get our fresh herbs to their final destination in perfect condition.”
The area is 8 hectares. "We grow our herb in several different areas to spread the risks. If we start with the export, then we will expand too. The problem at the moment is the transportation cost to the Northern European countries. Transportation cost is higher than our competitors from other countries who are well established in the market for many years. The thing that distinguishes us from others is our quality. We are blessed with a microclimate and sandy soil. This gives our herbs a full aroma.”
For more information:
Kostas Mavroskotis
Aroma Fresh Herbs
190 11 Avlona Attikis - Greece
kosmav@mavroskotis.gr
www.aroma-herbs.com