The official unveiling of the new fresh onion and potato brand called Fokeon Gaia, hosted by Christos Katsanos (left) and Ioannis Stavrou from Fokeon Gaia.
The name Fokeon Gaia is deeply rooted in the past, the Fokeon people have been growing potatoes and onions for centuries and Gaia is the ancient Greek word for 'mother earth'.
The potatoes will be available by the middle of June this year and will continue through to the end of March, with production estimated by 7,000 tons, along with 5,000 tons of onions. With it's experience in processed potatoes, Fokeon Gaia has its own cooling facilities and Yiannis said that they will be exporting to other Balkan countries such as Albania and Romania in the beginning, but they plan on expanding into new markets as time progresses, with plans to expand into fresh cut products as well.
"It's been difficult in Greece over the last few years with the economic crisis, but I believe that the worst is behind us. We are working together with other growers, all of which are Global Gap certified. We have our own cooling and packaging facilities, in order to suit our customer's needs. Our most common packaging is nylon bags with the wrap around labelling, which also tells a bit about the history of our region, informing consumers of where the product originates from. Packaging hasn't caught on as much in Greece as it has for other markets, with about 70% of potatoes sold loose, and only around 30% packaged, but we see this slowly changing."
The available potato varieties from Fokeon Gaia are Bellini, Lissette and Spunta along with red and yellow onions.
For more information:
Yiannis Stavrou
Fokeon Gaia
Tel: +30 22340 31785
Fax: +30 6976 995 995
Email: i.stavrou@yahoo.gr
fokeongaia.gr (coming soon)