According to Kostas Mavroskotis, Managing Director of the Greek company Aroma Fresh Herbs, which attended the recent edition of Freskon, in Thessaloniki, the situation of fresh herbs in Greece is marked by stability. “The fresh herbs market has not really been expanded in Greece, as most people still use dry herbs, but in general things are going better than they were in the past. We were the first to introduce fresh herbs in Greece and now the market has become established. They are now frequently used by consumers, especially basil and mint, even if it remains a small market.”
While one of the company’s goals is educating consumers, which it does by contacting chefs, having special television programs, etc., the product remains limited to the gourmet segment and considered a specialty. "So we cannot grow a lot more. That is why we are looking to export, as that will become essential for the business to remain profitable. Our main target is to enter the European market and right now we are looking for reliable logistics,” he affirms.
The key is that, unlike Cyprus, which is more oriented towards exports, Aroma Fresh Herbs is still 100% focused on the domestic market, doing business mostly with retailers, and the reason for this lies precisely in the logistics.
“First of all, production costs are rising because of high taxation, so we cannot be very competitive against other countries, but in general we are optimistic, because we have very good quality. Greece has special native varieties and, most importantly, we follow traditional production methods certified by Global GAP, with a very low use of pesticides,” affirms Mavroskotis.
The firm aims to capitalise on this by means of good marketing. “As a brand, we want to make sure that consumers understand the benefits of using fresh herbs, and since we supply a high quality product, we also want the packaging to be at a higher level. Quality is a priority for us, not only for the product itself, but also for the presentation,” he concludes.
