About us

Rachi Pieria

Rachi is a small village in Pieria region with a population of 423 residents, according to 2011 national census. It is located northwest of Katerini and it constitutes part of Lofos municipal community of Katerini Municipality. The distance between Rachi and Katerini is approximately 14km. Rachi used to be part of Lofos’ village when it was named by “Ziaziakos”. The local economy is based in agriculture and especially in the cultivation of cherries and tobacco.

The Producers Team

The Producers Team branded as A.S.P.O Rachis Producers Team was established in 2016 according to Article 9 of The National Agricultural Development Program (2014-2020) of the Ministry of Food and Rural Development. It consists of 70 members from A.S.P.O Rachis cooperative and the areas cultivated with cherries and apricots are 50 hectares and 5 hectares respectively. The purpose of Producers Team creation is the development in the fields of production and expertise as well as the more strengthened presence as a productive entity in the market of fresh fruits and vegetables through the financial aid provided directly by state resources.

Facilities

The producers team uses the facilities of the agricultural cooperative A.S.P.O Rachis, who since 2016 has its privately owned premises for the best integrated management of conservation and standardization for its products. State of the art facilities ensure the preservation of good quality products and their perfect standardization and they consist of:

HydroCooler
The HydroCooler machine has the ability to cool cherries down to a temperature of 2°C – 4°C from the air temperature they are collected. Its capacity can reach up to 4 tonnes per hour.

Cooling Chambers
Currently there are 3 cooling chambers with a total storage of 320 tonnes.

Cherry Calibrator
The calibrator was installed in 2016 by the greek company MATSALAS. It has 4 lines of calibration with the ability to sort cherries by size. Cherries travel through the sorting line in cold water. Its capacity can reach up to 4 tonnes per hour.

Certifications

A.S.P.O Rachis producers team is certified in cherries integrated management, according to the national standards of AGRO 2.1 and AGRO 2.2, from 2016 to this day. Moreover, the producers team is also certified with the GLOBALG.A.P. standard of Good Agricultural Practices from 2016 until today.