My name is Tepelis Michalis and I am 42 years old. I am married to Valentina Kiomourtzi and I have two children. I am a graduate of a Technical Vocational High School. I was born and live in Platanotopos, Kavala and my main occupation is farming. I have been growing grapes professionally for 20 years but I have been in this crop since I was very young. I also grow table olives and olive oil.
How did the idea come about and how long has the business been active?
As for grape growing, I inherited it from my parents. The love for my place, the cultivation of the land and the dynamism of this particular crop was the combination that kept me in my village and in 2000 I started my own business and since then I have been cultivating my vineyards professionally.
What has changed and what has stayed the same in the business?
What has changed in the business is the difficulty in combating diseases since we have to harmonize with new European directives regarding spraying. What has remained the same for decades is the selling price of our product and we constantly absorb all the precision in everything.
What is the process of producing and selling the product?
Production starts very early, in mid-December with pruning and ends in November of the following year until the last bunch of grapes is harvested. There are various varieties from very early to very late, with or without seeds and white or black. All of the above varieties, as different as they are, have the same production process in terms of time and labor. From May, the beautification work begins in combination with intense spraying every eight (8) to ten (10) days. The harvest begins in late July and early August and ends in mid-November. After being harvested, the grapes go to the packing houses of the cooperatives or the various exporters where they are cleaned, packaged and cooled at specific temperatures so that they can last longer.
What are the types of products and sales?
There are various packaging sizes, 200g cups, 500g boxes, 5kg crates, 10kg crates, etc., where we pack white grapes or black grapes or a combination of the two depending on market demand. Some varieties, usually with seeds, are exported to Eastern European countries, while other varieties without seeds are exported to Central, Northern and Western European countries. However, all of the above varieties can be found in smaller quantities in the Greek market through the packaging plants themselves or local vegetable markets for wholesale and from the various local grocery stores in the country for retail.
What difficulties have you faced?
In recent years we have been facing problems with climate change and this makes it difficult for us to cultivate. There are problems of water scarcity but also reduced production due to the fact that there is not enough winter days for the climates to rest.
There is also a problem with the labor-staff since this particular crop requires too many hands for a short period of time. The Greek has difficulty coming to work and the third-country farm workers we employ are slowly leaving for other European countries. As far as equipment is concerned, it is constantly evolving, but our work can be done with the means we have.
We try to be in line with all Greek and European directives in both production and the packaging and sales process so that there are no problems in any inspection.
How innovative is it?
Since we are talking about the cultivation of the land and the climates of the vineyards, we are talking about a primitive method of production that has not changed to this day and is not going to change in the future. The only thing that changes in it is the means by which we cultivate and package, which are constantly modernized.
How do you see your business in the future?
The ever-increasing market demands, the huge increase in production costs (supplies, energy, oil), but also the inability to find workers resulting in an increase in wages, do not leave us with enough profit margins as in the past, so we do not know for how long or if it is profitable to continue cultivating and exporting.
Thank you very much.
Thank you very much, and I thank you in turn.
Best regards.
Tepelis Michalis.
Grape grower & Vice President of the Agricultural Association of Pangaio.
