«Twelve modern Pan-Hellenic retail shops of «Mediterranean Diet» and wholesale branches have been created by the Association of Agricultural co-operatives Pezon (since 1933) where along with wine and olive oil we dispose Cretan honey, raisins, tisanes, spices, olives, Cretan rusks (made of barley, dakos etc.), bread products, green soap and other Cretan traditional products», referred in an interview to «In-On» magazine, the chairman of the Association Mr. Georgios Fragiadoulakis. The channels of distribution even include –he underlined – supermarket chains while the geographical allocation of the sales is proportional to the population. Moreover, in our central establishments located in the prefecture of Kazanzakis, there is a traditional museum for those who wish to acknowledge the evolution and process of our local agricultural products through time until today. One can comprehend their way of production and try their rich taste, making the Cretan products famous all over the world.
Concerning exports -he clarified – the products of the Pezon Association are distributed to countries of the European Union (Germany, France, Austria, Italy, Denmark and United Kingdom). Our customers’ file is constantly increasing including trustworthy co-operators such as chains like Carrefour, Metro, Intermache, Monoprix (France), MPREIS (Austria) and others. Lately, we attempted an opening to Middle East countries, as well. (Lebanon, Kuwait, Qatar). According to the policy of our company there is not exclusive representation.
The aim of the Association is -he said- sales increase for the year 2010 as well, based on steady high quality and decrease of the distance between the producer and the consumer.
The Association is activated in two primary products: wine and olive oil of excellent and steady quality.
Those products have been awarded in international trade fairs: Gold Prize of Quality for the Extra Virgin Olive Oil POP PEZA, Eleotechnia, Athens 2008, Bronze Prize for packaging of the Extra Virgin Olive Oil POP PEZA in the carton Tetraprisma, Eleotechnia, Athens 2008, Silver Prize for the taste for the Extra Virgin Olive Oil NISOS, 2nd Festival of olive oil and olives, Piraeus 2008, Star for packaging of the Extra Virgin Olive Oil POP PEZA in a bag of 3 liters, Greek Stars, Athens 2006, Golden Olive Tree for the Extra Virgin Olive Oil POP PEZA, 2nd International Competition of Olive Oil, Zurich 2003, Silver Medal of Taste for the Extra Virgin Olive Oil POP PEZA, Great Taste Awards, London 2003, Prize for Quality & Innovating Packaging for the Extra Virgin Olive Oil NISOS, PASEGES, Agrotica 2003.
Within a complete industrial complex with modern inaugurations, 85% of the agricultural products of the region are absorbed and processed resulting in their channeling to Greek and international market. It has to be noted that the Association hastened since 1998, to work out and inaugurate a System of Administering Quality ISO 9001:2000 and Systems of Food Security IFS and ISO 22000.
Within the framework of the Association, a group of olive oil producers is being activated consisting of 4.500 members. In the region of the Association 5.000 tons of olive oil is produced on average every year coming from 60.000 acres of olive-tree cultivation (1.100.000 olive trees). This is an acknowledged Zone of Protected Name of Origins P.Ο.P. PEZA and, thus, the Association produces, standardizes and makes available in the market the Extra Virgin Olive Oil POP PEZA. Today, the Peza Association has got: two oil-mills that produce 2000 tons of olive oil, a traditional soap-mill, oil tanks of 6.500 tons, a standardization industry of olive oil and a chemical laboratory.
In the region of the Association there are 30.000 acres of wine groves that belong to the producers- members of the Association (10.000 wine groves ΟPΑP-VQPRD, 8.000 for table wines, 12.000 for raisins and table grapes) and the Association also has: a wine factory with the capability to standardize 20.000 tons of grapes with tanks and storehouses for the wines of 25.000 tons, a packing industry of the table grapes of 400 tons per 24 hours, a wine-bottling industry and a chemical laboratory.
The Association’s investment in the field of wine with the reliable peak technology of the aseptic packaging Tetra Pak, gives the opportunity to produce one more innovative product that follows wine standardization in a bag with a faucet (The wine of the Company).
Also, the Association has got a fully-equipped chemical laboratory in order to analyze the olive oil and the wines. More particularly: Warehouses of 10.000m2 and technological equipment.
Innovative Cretan products
