Pioneering Greeks: Ersi Electra Xenaki, Founder of ‘Icaria Pure’ Organic Food Products

Welcome to “Pioneering Greeks”, the weekly column of GTP Headlines, which highlights the Greeks that stand out for their creative thinking in the business world. “Pioneering Greeks” is a collaboration between LoveGreece.com and Greek Travel Pages (GTP).

This week we introduce Ersi Electra Xenaki, founder of the “Icaria Pure”, a brand offering organic food products from the Greek island of Ikaria.

The simple and stylish packaging of the “Icaria Pure” Greek organic food products contains an unbeatable combination: the purity of local ingredients, produced on the island of Ikaria, and the wisdom of traditional recipes, which have passed from one generation to another. The brand was created by Ersi Electra Xenaki, who might have been born in Berlin, raised in Athens and studied architecture in London, yet above all claims to come from Ikaria, her place of origin from her father’s side. She has a lot of reasons to love the island, such as its wild natural beauty and the mentality of the inhabitants, who are simple and not demanding a lot, with a deep sense of solidarity and social awareness.

A dedicated foodie, Ersi decided to create “Icaria Pure” so as to bring forward the uniqueness of the Greek organic food products that local people have been preparing and consuming for ages. In order to preserve their authenticity, production will always rely on non-industrialised means, which tend to be extinct. This is what sets a limit on quantities, which can only be increased up to point. All “Icaria Pure” food products are organic and made with local, seasonal ingredients, with absolutely no additives. Each type is produced in collaboration with local producers and co-ops, with the utmost care and food safety measures.

Apart from indigenous herbs and spices, “Icaria Pure” packs traditional delicacies prepared with age-old recipes, as well as new original flavours making new use of the island’s offerings. The list so far includes: Heather Honey, Quince, Wine & Ginger Jelly, Honey & Strawberry Tree Fruit Spread, Tomato, Orange & Chili Preserve, Apricot Preserve, Fig Chutney, Butternut Squash Chutney, Galatsida (pickled wild greens), Rock Samphire (crithmum maritimum), Pickled Edible Bulbs, Wild Herbal Blend, Salvia / Sage and Mountain Tea.

Purity makes those Greek organic food products de facto healthier and more beneficial than others, not to mention that Ikaria is world-renowned as the island of longevity, a phenomenon which must partly be attributed to the local diet.

Inspired by the dynamism and creativity of the Greek entrepreneurial spirit, LoveGreece was founded in 2013 as an initiative to boost and promote the country’s image abroad by profiling talented and successful Greeks. With their ethos and vision, Greece’s entrepreneurs and professionals are an important aspect of the country worth highlighting to the world. LoveGreece is powered by Gina Mamidaki, the founder of the G & A Mamidakis Foundation.

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Εμπνευσμένο από τον δυναμισμό και τη δημιουργικότητα του ελληνικού επιχειρηματικού πνεύματος, το LoveGreece ιδρύθηκε το 2013 σαν μια πρωτοβουλία για την ενίσχυση και την προώθηση της εικόνας της χώρας στο εξωτερικό, παρουσιάζοντας ταλαντούχους Έλληνες με εξωστρεφή νοοτροπία. Οι Έλληνες επιχειρηματίες αποτελούν σημαντικό παράγοντα της χώρας που αξίζει να παρουσιαστεί σε όλο τον κόσμο. Το LoveGreece υποστηρίζεται από την Τζίνα Μαμιδάκη, Πρόεδρο του Ιδρύματος Γ. & Α. Μαμιδάκη.

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