Having as a starting point to preserve the tradition and promote the island of Lemnos, Dimitris and Nikos Poriazis started in 1981, in the village of Portianou of Lemnos, the rescue of the seed of the local wheat varieties Lemnos and barley Panagia. Their purpose was to cultivate them, to create products that differ in quality and taste that highlight the characteristics of the land of Lemnos.

From left: Η Fotini Poriazi with her father
Dimitris Poriazis and her cousin Anastasia Poriazi.

Contract farming

Apart from the acres they cultivate, however, they also cooperate with 15 other producers for the cultivation of wheat and barley on the island. "Over the last 15 years, my brother and I have started an effort to work with other producers through contract farming.

A problem occurred, as many had fields but did not cultivate them. So, in order to motivate them, we suggested that we give them the seed, as well as seed production, to supervise the process, acquiring from us expertise, but also an attractive price for the purchase of wheat and barley. This is valid even today, as we buy it around 25 to 26 cents ", Mr. Poriazis emphasizes.

The family also cultivates Simeto for wheat and Claudio for barley, so as to ensure stable production of wheat and barley, as there is always the risk of loss of production due to disease or weather conditions.

Products

Bread and rusks were the two products created by the family in 1981. Today, under the name "Poriazi Family of Lemnos", they create traditional rusks, local pasta, "Flomaria", wheat trahana and Lemnos flour.

The fourth generation of the family, which consists of the five daughters of Nikos and Dimitris Poriazis, is now responsible for the processing and promotion of these products. Fotini, daughter of Mr. Dimitris, states in "Ypaithros Xora Magazine" that "the milling of whole-wheat flour and barley whole is done partially in our stone mill, while the yellow wheat is ground in the only mill that exists on the island.

We pack and sell the flour in supermarket chains, as well as the rusk. In addition, for the last five years we have been producing traditional pasta, which is called "Flomaria". The family, through its own shop, serves both its own village and the neighboring ones.

Great Taste Award

The whole effort of the family to give to its products the quality and taste of a special product was also highlighted through the Great Taste Awards competition, as according to Fotini "among about 15,000 products that were tested and competed, ours won a Great Taste award in last year's competition.

The process of tasting was done without knowing where each product comes from, with the feedback of the judges being that the product stood out for the delicacy of the taste and the quality of its raw materials ". The aim of the family is to offer a complete taste experience through simple products, such as rusks and pasta.

On the website of the company, under the name lemnosbakery.com, one can read articles about the primary sector, folklore and gastronomy, but also to find allpoints of sale of the products.

Future plans According to Fotini, although their fathers were worried about the continuation of the business, today all five are mainly concerned with the different needs it has. "We grew up watching every process, from production to the sale of products, and each one took its time to decide if it would eventually do this professionally." In the future plans of the family business is the creation of a mill from the beginning, for the part of the grinding grain, so that the whole process can be done by them.

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