Meet our producers #33 Androp & Eu Andros

The story of Demosthenes with Tsipouro and Andros began at an early age when he went to the distillery every October to help his grandfather and father. After returning permanently to the island in 2010, he wanted to set up his own business, and after much research and effort, he managed to launch Androp in 2018.

Androp is a multi-varietal tsipouro that includes 70% of the local varieties Koumari, Potamisio, and Mavraki and others such as Assyrtiko and Moschato from Lemnos, with labels ranging from 50 ml to 2lt. In the future, he would like to replace the imported varieties with exclusively Andrian varieties such as Mavraki.

In 2018 when it came out, Androp was the island’s second bottled product breaking the tradition of bulk tsipouro, which initially caused distrust among locals. Gradually, however, its quality and taste were recognized, and 2019 led to its increased success and experimentation with other drinks.

Thus began the production of ouzo, mastic oil from Chios and lemon liqueur, from which the idea of “Eu Andros” was born, a new venture released in 2021 as a concentrated lemonade. True to the traditional Andrian recipe, lemonade is a completely natural product that utilizes modern technology without becoming industrialized. “Eu Andros” comes in two labels: sugar and natural sugars from grape juice and ginger zest.

In every venture, the aim is to collaborate and support the small producers of the island through a vertically integrated production that brings life to the land. Despite time and cost constraints, the vision is to create a model of a local circular economy. Thus everything -from the grape seed as a soil conditioner and the tons of unused lemons in the local backyards, find their place in the production process ecologically and sustainably.

Of course, we couldn’t be more involved in this vision and excited about our collaboration!

If you are interested to learn more about the production process and taste the products on site, check our first tour passing from Andros island: https://aegeancargosailing.org/…/2023-sea-trail-1-round-1/

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