He “inherited” his love for the land, from his father who was always by his side and supported his choices
The huge walnut trees, the smell of the earth, Mandraki and the love for his place, were the reasons that worked like a magnet for him to stay in his native lands and engage in agriculture, leaving behind his modern studies in IT. The reason for him 35-year-old farmer Themis Tomboulidiswho managed in a few years, using new technologies, but also marketing, to triple the walnut cultivation that his father had, to develop it and make it known throughout Greece, producing butter and oils from walnuts.
For Themis Tomboulidis, it was as if he never left his small lakeside village, located on the slopes of Mount Belles, as he chose the university in Serres for his studies “in order to be close”, as he confesses to APE-MPE. He “inherited” his love for the land, from his father who was always by his side and supported his choices.
“When I finished my studies at the IT Engineering Department of the former TEI of Central Macedonia, in Serres, my only concern was to go back to nature and work professionally with walnut trees. After all, my father had started their cultivation when I was a child, I knew them and loved this work. When I started actively, we had about 30 hectares, while today we have reached 100. The harvest increased, the quality became excellent, and the use of new technologies and appropriate equipment contributed to all this. Today we have reached the point of producing walnut products that have become known all over Greece, but also in Europe”, says Mr. Tomboulidis proudly to APE-MPE.
Small meteorological station in the fields
As the young farmer points out, who has developed his knowledge of agriculture with special seminars and additional studies, “everything one does must be based on a business plan, evolve according to the requirements and leave nothing to chance ».
So with the aim of increasing fruit yield, but also dealing with weather conditions, he installed a small weather station in his fields that gives him online information about humidity, wind, rain, and soil conditions, while the measurements can to direct him to other, favorable for the region, crops.
From tree to nut butter production
Three years ago, the young farmer also started producing nut butter, while in the last year he has also been dealing with nut oil.
“In the beginning we made nut butter and gave it to our friends and customers. Over time, we found that the product had won the interest of all those who tried it and we decided to produce it”, says Mr. Tomboulidis, who explains that “the irrigation of the walnuts is done with modern equipment in its own unit, but the final production of the butter, but also of the oils from the walnut crumbs is made in a special production unit in Larissa”.
Today, walnut products from the beautiful Mandraki, whose permanent residents do not exceed four hundred, are known in Germany, Belgium, and Australia, while they are expected to move from retail baskets to the wholesale market very quickly.
For Mr. Tomboulidis, the next goal is to expand the family farm to the cultivation of hazelnuts, for which he has already started the process.
“The region favors both crops, while their products and derivatives are beneficial for everyone and at the same time profitable for local producers, as the buying public wants to know what they are eating and every good thing applauds it”, will conclude Mr. Tomboulides.
Source: Skai
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