Love, sold by the kilo!
Greece is renowned for the richness and variety of its agricultural products and local culinary delights. In recent years, demand for locally sourced produce has grown significantly, inspiring many people to “return to their roots” and seek out both the quality of the food they consume and its origin. Buying seasonal, locally produced goods and supporting small, family-run Greek businesses has become a growing trend in recent years! However, this shift did not happen overnight; it has been the result of a gradual process spanning around 20 years.
Historical Overview of Organic Food Markets
From production to consumption!
In the early 1990s, residents of a block of flats in Chalandri discussed their desire to buy local, organic products, which at the time were difficult to find in the Attica region. To meet this need, they decided to make use of an available space in their building and invited a group of Greek farmers to sell organic produce grown without pesticides or chemicals. This was only the beginning of a movement that led to the creation of the Organic Farmers’ Cooperative Market, which today thrives not only in Attica but also on Crete, in Thessaly and across Northern Greece.
The cooperative ensures that only certified organic farmers sell their products at these markets through a strict inspection process. This offers consumers a unique opportunity to speak directly with—and purchase from—the farmers who grow their food.
An inspiring programme in Attica called “Love, sold by the kilo” enables organic farmers’ markets to cooperate with local municipalities. The municipality provides farmers with free space to sell their produce on a weekly basis, on the condition that when a market includes more than 20–25 vendors, it also supports a non-profit organisation such as the SOS Children’s Village in Vari and the “Agia Anna” Foundation for Children.
For more information, as well as the weekly schedule in different municipalities, please visit www.bioagores.org or contact info@bioagores.org.
Greece is renowned for the richness and variety of its agricultural products and local culinary delights. In recent years, demand for locally sourced produce has grown significantly, inspiring many people to “return to their roots” and seek out both the quality of the food they consume and its origin. Buying seasonal, locally produced goods and supporting small, family-run Greek businesses has become a growing trend in recent years! However, this shift did not happen overnight; it has been the result of a gradual process spanning around 20 years.
Historical Overview of Organic Food Markets
From production to consumption!
In the early 1990s, residents of a block of flats in Chalandri discussed their desire to buy local, organic products, which at the time were difficult to find in the Attica region. To meet this need, they decided to make use of an available space in their building and invited a group of Greek farmers to sell organic produce grown without pesticides or chemicals. This was only the beginning of a movement that led to the creation of the Organic Farmers’ Cooperative Market, which today thrives not only in Attica but also on Crete, in Thessaly and across Northern Greece.
The cooperative ensures that only certified organic farmers sell their products at these markets through a strict inspection process. This offers consumers a unique opportunity to speak directly with—and purchase from—the farmers who grow their food.
An inspiring programme in Attica called “Love, sold by the kilo” enables organic farmers’ markets to cooperate with local municipalities. The municipality provides farmers with free space to sell their produce on a weekly basis, on the condition that when a market includes more than 20–25 vendors, it also supports a non-profit organisation such as the SOS Children’s Village in Vari and the “Agia Anna” Foundation for Children.
For more information, as well as the weekly schedule in different municipalities, please visit www.bioagores.org or contact info@bioagores.org.
