Humble Beginnings (1949 - 1951)

Born in the village of Paliometocho, our grandparents, Mr. Andreas and Mrs. Theophano, helped family and friends in the fields since they were kids. They attended elementary school, but had to leave to work to help the family. This was a common practice in Cyprus in the 1940s, as families had no choice but to have everyone work in the fields just to put bread on the table. Married at the age of 20, they started their journey with a small piece of inherited land, a donkey, and a goat. With a modest wedding gift of 50 Cypriot pounds from family and friends and a bit of luck from a winning bond (long story), they set out to make a living from the land.

In the early 1950s, they began by planting cabbage and tomatoes from seed. It was an experiment for them, despite the fact that they had been helping their parents from an early age. Their hard work and commitment to organic farming soon paid off. Mrs. Theophano recalls:

I remember the first time Andreas came back from the local markets in Nicosia. He couldn’t believe that in one weekend, he had made half the value of the land we had inherited. We earned around 25 pounds. It was unheard of to make that amount of money—no one could believe it, not even our parents. That was when we realized we needed to expand into other vegetables and consider buying machinery.

And that was it. Our grandfather was going to Nicosia every weekend visiting the local markets . It was that time that they decided to expand and start growing other vegetables. He was finally able see what the local community in Nicosia was demanding.

Investing in Progress (1951-1954)

Their savings and dedication allowed them to purchase their first tractor, a Ferguson, in 1951, partnering with a family friend. They each put in half the money and shared the tractor for work. This tractor became a valuable asset, not only for our grandparents but also for the local community. They used it to help other local farmers, sharing their knowledge and machinery to support the community. Our grandmother said the following:

As soon as we got the Ferguson, it was something groundbreaking for the village. Friends and family were asking us to help them in the fields. We were the first to have a tractor. We couldn't deny the help that people were asking for, and many times we did it for free. Of course, we made some money, but I remember that we helped a lot of people in our family circle.

During this period, most of their profits came from other producers or farmers paying to use the machinery in their fields, which further strengthened their role in the local agricultural community.

As their business grew, they sold the Ferguson to buy more advanced equipment, including a Massey Harris tractor in mid-1952 and a threshing machine. In 1954, they bought an additional tractor - a Hanomag which helped them stay ahead in their agricultural practices for around two years. Our grandfather said:

The business was booming—imagine that it was our third tractor within 3 to 4 years. It wasn't that we had massive land at the time; it was that we could sell whatever we were growing. And we used just water. No chemicals - we didn't know otherwise. But everything changed in 1955. The priorities changed.

A National Cause (1955-1959)

The Cypriot War of Independence (1955-1959) brought challenges, slowing their business as the island focused on the struggle for freedom. Helping in the war of independence became a priority for them and the Greek Cypriots.

Mr. Andreas often recalls:

The idea of ENOSIS and an independent Cyprus was a dream resurrected from the past. It was more thrilling than any profits we made. I remember how everyone in Paliometocho, including myself, forgot about our businesses because the idea of unifying the island with the motherland was above everything else.

During this time, our grandfather joined EOKA, the National Organization of Cypriot Fighters, who fought for the idea of ENOSIS, the unification of Cyprus with Greece. He often says:

I joined EOKA and a lot of the work in the fields was done by your grandmother. She really helped a lot since I was chosen for missions. The business was on track because of her. We sometimes sit down and wonder how we managed to keep the business going.

Mr. Andreas often recounts an incident from August 1956 that highlights the hard work they put in despite the ongoing conflict:

One night in August 1956, I returned from the fields utterly exhausted. Suddenly, I was called for a mission in Ayioi Trimithias (a village near Paliometocho). I was so tired that during the mission, I fainted. I couldn't stand up or move. There was a war but we were working hard all day. We had to work and support the fighters at the same time. Halfway through, we had to cancel the mission because it started raining.

Despite these difficulties, they continued to adapt. In 1957, they noticed the rise of Combine Harvesters and decided to sell their threshing machine, shifting their focus back to vegetable farming.

Right before a tragedy (1960-1973)

The war ended, with Cyprus gaining independence in 1960. Cyprus was finally an independent nation after nearly 800 years. New business opportunities emerged across the island, including the agricultural sector. Mrs. Theophano recalls:

Right after the war, specifically after the 1960s, whatever we produced was considered gold—it was selling like crazy. Andreas stopped going to Nicosia because the location of our business played a massive role. Our fields had access to a main road. We had a stand there, and everyone from Limassol, coming from and going towards Troodos, would stop by. From cucumbers to tomatoes to eggplants to potatoes, everything was selling like crazy. Whatever we decided to plant was coming out great, and we still didn't use pesticides or any chemicals. We planted a lot of vegetables in different seasons, experimenting. This was after the war. We were going to Morfou (a town northwestern part of Cyprus, currently under Turkish occupation), where we were given free plants from the Department of Agriculture—we were chosen with other producers to test different vegetables.

The success of their business allowed them to consider expanding their operations. Our grandfather saw an opportunity to grow even further and decided it was time to acquire more land. He often recalls:

In 1965, I decided it was time to buy more land. The business was doing well and money was not a problem. I was always on the lookout for available land near our existing fields, asking around to see who might be willing to sell. At that time, when people needed to raise money for their kids' weddings, they often sold their land. Others, unfortunately, had to sell because they had lost their husbands or kids during the independence war. I was always interested in buying land close to ours to keep everything together. Other times, people would approach me to sell their land. My decisions were primarily based on the location of the land and whether the quality of the soil was good enough for producing fruit and vegetables. Access to water was also important.

Until 1973, everything was going according to plan. Despite the ongoing conflicts on the island and the tensions between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, their business continued to thrive. More machinery was purchased, more land was acquired and they hired workers to help with the increased workload. They became professional producers.

The division of the island (1974)

The Turkish invasion of Cyprus began on 20 July 1974 and unfolded in two phases over the following month. On 20 July, Turkish forces landed and captured 3% of the island before a ceasefire was declared. However, after peace talks broke down, Turkish forces resumed their advance in August 1974, eventually capturing approximately 36% of the island. Our grandfather said:

During the days of the Turkish invasion, I went to help. It was my duty. Your grandmother stayed at home, and I specifically told her not to leave our home to protect herself and our kids. We were very close to the front lines when the Turks were advancing.

The fields had access to the main road, allowing my grandparents to witness people leaving their homes. My grandmother visited the fields days after the invasion ended. She said to us:

Of course, we could see people coming from Morfou and other nearby occupied areas. We did what we could to help those passing by.

She continued:

After the Turkish invasion, a lot of things changed. People changed. Nothing was the same, my son. We understood that something had shifted—everything had changed.

The golden era (1975 -2010)

From 1975, the business once again took off. It was the year that our grandparents grew different varieties of potatoes and began exporting them to the UK. At the time, everyone was talking about their production and their reputation spread to other areas as well, shifting the entire operations. This period of growth continued from 1980 to 2010.

Mr. Andreas recalls:

In 1978, we faced very bad weather conditions that destroyed our potato production. Hailstones devastated everything. I cried when I saw the level of damage. But I remembered that other people had lost their homes and families during the Turkish invasion, so I wouldn't let this setback hold me back.

The family's production wasn't based solely on potatoes. During the summertime, it was all about watermelons and different types of melons. People traveling to or from Troodos would pass by, and especially from 2000 to 2010, as car ownership in Cyprus increased, so did the demand for their produce. The location was perfect, particularly for those summer travelers heading to the mountains.

In 1983, they decided to plant citrus and olive trees on newly acquired land. While they had extensive experience with lemon and olive trees, their knowledge of other citrus trees was limited. Lemon and olive trees were common in Cyprus, with nearly every household having them. However, cultivating other citrus varieties was a new challenge. The idea was to plant olive trees around the perimeter of the land, creating a natural fence and boundary.

Mr. Andreas recalls:

We planted around 850 trees in one go, including mandarins, clementines, bergamots, pomelos, oranges, and lemon trees. We had workers to help us, but we never left them on their own—we weren't just supervisors, we worked with our hands and always contributed. The olive trees were primarily for producing olive oil, but they also served to mark our territory. During that time, I was experimenting with everything. I even planted two avocado trees, just to see if they would bear fruit.

The end of an era (2010 - 2024)

Since 2010, everything changed when a new motorway was built. People stopped passing by the old road and started using the motorway. This shift impacted the business significantly, leading our grandparent’s to focus on selling their products to supermarkets.

In 2015, Mrs. Theophano stopped going to the fields as she grew tired from years of hard work and officially retired.

The COVID-19 pandemic further impacted their operations drastically from 2020 onwards.

In 2024, Mr. Andreas decided to retire after the loss of his son.