How it all started? – ΠΩΣ ΞΕΚΙΝΗΣΑΝ ΌΛΑ;
Οι παππούδες μας ήταν βοσκοί και συντηρούνταν με τα αγαθά της φύσης. Ως παιδιά ζούσαμε κυρίως σε αστικό περιβάλλον, αλλά ανυπομονούσαμε να επισκεφτούμε το χωριό μας τα Σαββατοκύριακα και τις αργίες. Κάθε φορά που επισκεπτόμασταν τους παππούδες μας, πηγαίναμε μια βόλτα στο δάσος για να μαζέψουμε φρούτα και ξύλα για το χειμώνα.
Οι αναμνήσεις μας απ’ αυτές τις βόλτες είναι έντονες!
Εξάλλου, λόγω του μικρού μας ύψους, ήμασταν πιο κοντά στο έδαφος και βλέπαμε ευκολότερα τα μανιτάρια που πάντα μας έλκυαν λόγω του σχήματος και των χρωμάτων τους. Μαζεύαμε δύο είδη μανιταριών και ένα είδος τρούφας. Το περίεργο είναι ότι ο παππούς μας δεν χρησιμοποιούσε σκύλο ή γουρούνι για να τα βρει, αλλά παρατηρούσε το έδαφος και τη φύση. Όταν μύρισα και δοκίμασα την πρώτη τρούφα, δημιουργήθηκε μια έκρηξη αισθήσεων στο μυαλό μου!
Our grandfathers were shepherds and they were sustained by feeding on nature’s goods. As children, we used to live mainly in an urban environment, but we were looking forward to visiting our village at weekends and on holidays. Every time we visited our grandfathers, we went for a walk in the forest to collect fruit and wood for the winter. Our fond memories of these walks are strong! Besides, because of our small height, we were closer to the ground and we could easier see the mushrooms which always attracted us because of their shape and colors. We collected two species of mushrooms and one species of truffle. The weird thing is that our grandfather didn’t use a dog or pig to find them, but he observed the ground and nature. When I smelled and tasted the first truffle, an explosion of sensations was produced in my mind!
How did this become a business?
As the years passed by, we stopped visiting our village, but the worm was inside us, just to remind us that we have to be close to our childhood love again. And this happened in 2010! We started to hunt mushrooms again! We were taught about mushrooms by Agricultural University professors and soon we owned specially-trained dogs for truffles. How did this become a business? A friend, who is a chef and owner of a fine restaurant, bought our products. Then, being very pleased he introduced us to another chef and then to another one and today we sell our fresh truffles and mushrooms to high end restaurants and hotels around Europe, the USA and Australia.
Why truffle theory?
