👉   Tell us about Mastiha Roots

What is the vision behind the brand, and how do you manage to combine entrepreneurship with meaningful social contribution in Chios?

"Mastiha Roots is an organization that highlights the heritage and culture of mastiha cultivation through mastiha tree adoptions, corporate gifts, and initiatives with social and environmental ESG impact.We have already sent sponsorship packages to 24 countries and have developed corporate partnerships.My vision is to connect people and companies with a place and a tradition that remains alive through time. For me, entrepreneurship means creating value that gives back to the community."

👉During VentureGarden, what was the most decisive feedback or "tool" that helped you turn your love for your hometown into a structured business model?

"From idea to business model, I’d say it’s a demanding journey. But VentureGarden played a decisive role in helping the idea take shape and become a reality.Every suggestion was a step closer to understanding how what I had in mind could actually work. It gave me the tools to organize my thoughts and see the structure behind the venture more clearly."

👉 What was the biggest challenge you faced during the program, and how did VentureGarden’s support help you see Mastiha Roots not just as a project, but as a sustainable solution with a future?

 "The biggest challenge for me was to give clear direction to an idea with many possibilities and to define the value of Mastiha Roots-what I offer, why it matters, and who I’m targeting.VentureGarden helped me see Mastiha Roots with clarity and a specific strategy."

👉The recent donation of the generator through the American company Lira Clinical is a significant initiative. How did this international collaboration come about, and what does it mean to you personally to provide safety in the face of the fear of fire that plagues the island?

"Chios has been severely tested in recent years by devastating fires, and the threat of fire remains constant. The collaboration with Lira Clinical began with the adoption of mastic trees offered to its partners. This year, they accepted our proposal to do something different and community-focused: purchasing a generator for the Mastic Producers’ Cooperative in Mesa Didyma.

For me, this initiative has real meaning because it addresses a genuine need."