Everything started with our grandma, Aphrodite, Nikis mother, who was making the traditional recipe of Halloumi. Everyone in the village loved Niki’s mom halloumi, and later Mrs. Niki decided to preserve the tradition. Mrs. Niki devoted years to follow and secure the whole production process of the original halloumi, and people were fascinated with this taste. Mrs. Niki, was then motivated by people’s enthusiasm for her halloumi recipe. So she decided to establish her own dairy company and distribute her famous halloumi recipe to the small market of Cyprus.

At this moment, Mrs. Niki is one of the last halloumi producers who preserves the original recipe with only sheep and goat milk. Although a small production, Niki’s Dairy exports the original Cyprus halloumi to other countries.

In the picturesque village of Prasteio Avdimou, located in the city of Limassol, Cyprus, Chr. Konstantinou operates a small family-owned dairy.

With the knowledge and tradition handed down from grandmother Christina to her namesake granddaughter and then to her great-grandson Vassilis, we have become one of the small and medium-sized businesses active in the field of “100% handcrafted dairy product production.”

With the knowledge and tradition handed down from grandmother Christina to her namesake granddaughter and then to her great-grandson Vassilis, we have become one of the small and medium-sized businesses active in the field of “100% handcrafted dairy product production.”

We continue to use the traditional recipes, methods, and techniques that our ancestors taught us after so many years of practise.

In addition to the numerous carob trees that existed and still exist in the village, there are numerous olive trees that have been here since antiquity.
The residents of Prasteio Avdimou were also engaged in olive harvesting, as the region offered many opportunities for its growth.

Those who had olive trees on their estates therefore secured their oil for the entire year or even sold it to those who did not. The collection method was straightforward. With the maturation of the fruit, the producers began peeling (=slicing) the olives and transporting them home in sacks until they could transport them to the olive press, to the ancient olive mills, to extract their oil. Historically, oil was preserved in clay vessels (pitharia). In addition to olive oil, olive cultivators gathered olives, which they stored in clay containers for year-round consumption. Olive production was directly dependent on annual precipitation and the health of olive trees.

The women gathered the carobs from the ground and placed them in baskets, coffins, and then bags. After 1940, growers utilised ”canabitse,” which they spread beneath the carob trees for the carobs to tumble onto. The sacks were then transported to the home and from there to the beachside warehouses of the neighbouring village of Avdimou.

The carobs were conveyed from the warehouses in boats moored at the dock to the ship, which was anchored at sea due to the lack of a port. The merchandise was then transported to its destination. These events occurred during carob harvest season.

The income from the sale of “black gold” was the primary source of income for many residents, and opium supported their families. Today, the harvesting and transportation of this product have evolved, as have the majority of agricultural operations. Carob is suitable for sustainable agriculture because it requires minimal human intervention and has minimal requirements for chemical interventions (pesticides), nutrients (fertilisers), and mechanical processing, while providing an abundance of healthy and natural food products suitable for a variety of applications.

Several days prior to the carob harvest, the residents of Prasteio prepared their instruments, including berks, satsias (sacks) or bags, bisatsias, baskets-coffins, saddlebags and straturkas or saddles for the donkeys, which were the only means of transportation at the time. In addition, they stuffed the donkeys with what they termed “petalloma” to prepare them for their work.

When the day arrived, the farmers set out for the fields alongside their helpers, who were primarily family members but also contracted labourers. Everyone would arrive at the field simultaneously and begin working. Using a short stick, the youths would climb the tree and shake the carobs, causing them to tumble to the ground. The remainder plucked carobs from the ground with short and long poles, respectively.

The women gathered the carobs from below and placed them in the available baskets, coffins, and bags. After 1940, producers utilised ”canabitse,” which they spread beneath the tree for the carobs to land on. Following this, the sacks were transported to the house and from there to the warehouses on the shore of the neighbouring village of Avdimou.

The carobs were conveyed from the warehouses in boats moored at the dock to the ship, which was anchored at sea due to the lack of a port. The merchandise was then transported to its destination. These events occurred during carob harvest season.

The sale of “black gold” was the primary source of income for a number of residents, allowing them to support their families. The process of harvesting and transporting this product has evolved, as has the majority of agricultural labour. Carob is suitable for sustainable agriculture because it requires minimal human intervention and has minimal requirements for chemical interventions (pesticides), nutrients (fertilisers), and mechanical processing, while providing an abundance of healthy and natural food products suitable for a variety of applications.