Pistachios from the Island of Aegina - Greece

The smell of the freshly baked pistachios fills the the little roads around the port of Aegina.

"We must remember to buy pistachios!"

the island visitors say to each other looking at the pistachio racks in the stores, still having the taste of the of the nut in their mouths, the taste of freshly roasted pistachios.

At the end World War One, the town of Aegina invited Mr. George Fourtouna, a specialist from Berlin for central heating, to construct a watering facility. Mr. Fourtounas fell in love with the island of Aegina and decided to not only live on the island but to start a business as well. On discovering that the soil and climate was suitable for cultivation of pistachio nuts, in 1923-24 he built the first pistachio nursery. Gradually, by buying land a strema at a atime, he expanded his business, "he offered trees to many local families so that the prouction of the nuts would be widespread," his daughter Ellen Efstathiou recalls proudly.

On the Ghikas estate, which is one of the oldest in pistachio production, one can still see the first pistachio tree which was planted by Mr. Fourtouna.

Mr. Thanasis Ghikas has been a pistachio producer for fifty years, with his inseperable companion his wife Maria.

At present the reins of the company has now in her hands his daughter Nota with her sons.

Due to the fact that grandfather Ghikas made it his goal to buy as many pieces of land as he could to plant the pistachio trees, today a large estate is owned by the family.

"The best time for the pistachio production was 1960-80" Mr. Thanasis Ghikas informs us. "When the pistachio productions was still small we use to peel the outer skin of the nuts with our hands and then step on them to remove the shell. Then, when production started to grow, we took the nuts to sea in baskets and shook them in the water until the skin was removed.

Today the methods of production and peeling of the pistachios have, of course, developed but we still place great importance in retaining the high standards and quality of our product.

Pistachio Trees from Ghika Estate