Conversations with Sotiris - Aroma Farms
Aroma Farms was established in early 2013 with its head office in Smila village, from Prefecture Ilia, Greece. The aim of their company has been to produce culinary herbs, condiments, herbal drugs and essential oils from the local plants that are organically cultivated in their farms. We interview Sotiris from Aroma Farms, to get a glimpse of life in the farm.
Q: Tell us more about your brand
A: We are a family run organic herb company from Ancient Olympia, Greece. All of our products are certified organic apart from the St, John's wort oil. We have won Great Taste Awards for 7 of our products, Oregano, Rose, Peppermint, Chamomile, Lemon Verbena, Greek Tea and Savory. All of our cultivations, harvests and packaging are done by hand without the use of heavy machinery. This reduces our carbon footprint and improves our quality control. We are also constantly looking to improve our expertise by working closely with various universities and other institutions.
Q: What does your day-to-day work life look like?
A: As we work with herbs, our day to day is dependent on the seasons and the weather. In spring, summer and early fall we are busy with running cultivations. Most of the planting will be done by the start of spring and the main task will be to maintain our fields through regular weeding. This is done mostly by hand since we don't use any pesticides or large machinery. It is hard work and labour intensive but this allows our plants to grow strong and healthy and we are able to monitor them throughout their growing period.
Most of the time however we start the day by organising field work, going over things that need to be delivered, the errands that we need to run and other office work.
Q: Do you have your favourite product from your brand & how do you consume it?
A: Our most used product by far is our oregano. We use it in most of our cooking and on Greek salads that we have almost every day when they are in season. We use oregano so often that we even put them on fries and pizzas!
Other uses for oregano could be as an herbal infusion with sage, chamomile and a pinch of oregano. We brew this when we start to feel like we are getting sick.
Q: What is your favourite place in Greece
A: Greece has a lot of places that we love, especially the mountains of central and western Peloponesse over Ancient Olympia. Any beach in the area is great too.
Link: https://aseasonedgreeting.com/2020/08/19/kolokithokeftedes-greek-zucchini-fritters/
Q: What is one food that you’ll recommend to someone visiting Greece?
A: If you ever come to Greece, try kolokithokeftedes. They are fritters made of zucchini, feta and various herbs. They are delicious and you can find them in most Greek taverns.