Idiston

The abundance and variety of fruit available in Greece inspired the need to create these traditional preserves. Made with fresh whole fruit ripened under the Greek sun spoon sweets are served by the spoonful on a small delicate glass plate and offered to visitors as a way of welcoming them into our homes.
Each spoon sweet reflects the season when the fruit was at its peak, plump and juicy with its freshness and aroma preserved in pristine condition.
Traditionally found in all Greek homes, spoon sweets continue to be part of our Mediterranean diet but can also be creatively incorporated into wonderful deserts.
Try them plain with a tall glass of ice water in summer or spoon a few sour cherries on pancakes and cereals. Pour a little hot custard by our voluptuous fig, decorate your baked cheesecake with our porphyry plums or just simply add some quince to greek style yogurt and swirl.

Tell us a little bit about your company. When and how did you start your business? How did you decide to get involved in the food industry?

We started our business 20 years ago, at a time when the terms “traditional”, “authentic”, “Protected Designations of Origin”, “no preservatives”, “Greek producers” did not exist. We love good food and our conversations were always like a cooking show, full of ideas and enthusiasm.

We would like to know more about the ingredients you use in your products. Where do you find them? Which are criteria by which you choose them, and how important are the raw materials for you?

One of the most important things for us is the region from which we get the fruit; the sour cherries are from Tegea, the rosepetals from the island of Chios, quinces are from Pelion, citrus fruits from Olympia. We have come to build permanent collaborations with producers, with whom we have a personal relationship. Every time a new delivery arrives, there is always a bag of fruit for our employees!

What potential do you think that Greek products have in the global market?

I believe that what Greek products need is just a huge label with how they can be used, with serving and cooking ideas, reasons for which we love them. It suffices to say that in America, Australia and wherever there are Greek communities they say “today we are eating at George’s, whose wife is Greek and cooks the most delicious food!”

What are the most important challenges that a Greek producer has to face today? And also, what do you love the most about your business?

One of the biggest challenges is to satisfy the market’s need for changes and new products, and to do that before this need becomes urgent. Even we are bored of the same things over and over again. What we love the most is that time in which, after having spent days over the pot, we finally achieve the flavor exactly as we wanted it!

What do you think makes your products special? Can you pick out and present us the ones you think are more interesting?

What makes them special is the fact that they taste so much like the actual, fresh fruits and our packaging. We could pick out the sour cherry and the rosepetal spoon sweets, for their aromas and for the ability each spoonful has to connect us with the past that fades away.

Why did you decide to put your products in a MontlyFlavors box? We would like you to send a message to our subscribers, in and outside of Greece.

Because MontlyFlavors is a passport that gives us the ability to travel! For the subscribers, we hope we are the surprise that they were anticipating!