Mattheos Darzentas

President of the Santorini Beekeepers’ Cooperative

It was the magical world of bees, their perfect organization and the flavor of the Santorinian honey that motivated Mr Mattheos Darzentas from Emporeio to study Apiculture at the School of Agriculture and transfer his beehives from Athens to Athinio, Perissa and Oia. As the President of the Santorini Beekeepers’ Cooperative and the oldest beekeeper on the island, he collects Santorinian honey every August. This is considered to be the best time of the year; the volcanic soil of the island combined with the thyme, savory, sage and wildflowers give out the best honey with regard to its content in vitamins, color and aroma. He explains to us that he has plans for the near future, concerning “the cooperative organization of the production and disposal of the Santorinian honey”. 

As we talk, it becomes obvious that Mr Darzentas cares about every single detail related to bees: “…in order to be a beekeeper, one has to be also a doctor, so that he can understand what bees really need”. T. +30 6972823245