Bringing the finest Mediterranean herbs to the cities, straight from where they grow (and taste) better. Read more
Bringing the finest Mediterranean herbs to the cities, straight from where they grow (and taste) better.
About this project
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The video that follows was filmed by my friend Theo and Nikos did the sound. They had to suffer under the Athenian sun for many hours because of my “complicated relationship” with cameras. This video explains our work quite clearly.
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The Project:
The Mediterranean basin is home to a large variety of aromatic plants but the finest ranges rarely cross the narrow borders of their native lands. Daphnis and Chloe wants to make this goodness available for every cook and bring genuine, dried culinary herbs to the cities. This campaign will help us fund the production of our next batch.
The Story Behind:
I grew up in a small town in Greece. In that town, part of our food came to us straight from our friends and family in the nearby countryside. Our yearly supply of sage, mountain tea and oregano came from an old lady who made her living gathering herbs on Mount Oeta. Then one day I moved abroad to a big city and I realized how hard it is to find natural seasonings when you're living far from their place of origin.
I don’t know how many times those dried herbs have travelled in my suitcase, but it wasn't until a friend pointed out how different they tasted that I thought: Why aren't there any companies that take culinary herbs seriously? Most products that one finds in shops are intensively produced, industrially processed plants with vague fragrance and taste. I began to study the industry, contact producers and consult researchers who have dedicated their lives into studying the herbs of my native country. Reading. Travelling. Tasting.
Where We Are:
I have spent the last two years tracing a viable way to bring Greek culinary herbs to the cities. The permissions, the suppliers, the packaging… everything is ready. We even produced a small, first batch of our range and found a tiny warehouse in a quiet street under the Acropolis in Athens. A handful of well-respected grocers are eagerly to curry our first produce.
And Now?
Now we need to reach the production minimums for our first sizable batch of herbs that will hit stores in September.
Since our selection is totally natural, it becomes available once a year. Our suppliers only have a few weeks while plants are at their peak, for collecting an entire year’s produce. We need to preorder our yearly supply before they start collecting. We also need to preorder our packaging in a quantity that will allow us to cut down the production costs. Our customers will benefit from that!
The Range:
We have selected the initial varieties for Daphnis and Chloe according to the areas where each plant naturally performs better, from suppliers who put quality above quantity and nature above personal interest.
The main range of Daphnis and Chloe includes four Mediterranean basics: OREGANO from Mount Taygetus, SAGE from a tiny village in the Epirus region named Faskomilia (which means Sage in Greek!), THYME flowers cut one by one from all over the Ionian coast, and the brightest BAY LEAVES that come from a little farm in Cephalonia.
Why Greek Herbs?
Greece is a country with an impressive biodiversity: Nearly 20% of the plants that grow there are endemic, which means you cannot find them anywhere else in the world! Moreover, Greece is where some of the highest quality cooking herbs of the Mediterranean prefer to grow. Researches say that Greek oregano can contain up to 30 times more essential oils (a parameter that defines its quality) than the ones typically found on the market. A similar thing happens with Greek sage (salvia fruticosa). On the other hand the thyme used in our islands, belongs to the scarcely commercialized capitatus variety, which has a more complex smell and taste that the common thymus vulgaris.
The small gatherers and farmers who usually make the finest varieties available, don't have the means to make their products be seen on a larger scale, and thus only operate on local levels. If Greece is where some of the finest herbs of the Mediterranean prefer to grow, then why not make a company that brings those farmers together, providing this pure goodness to city cooks?
The Rewards:
Our recipe postcards - A limited edition produced exclusively for our Kickstarter supporters. Each postcard contains a different recipe and is decorated with watercolours inspired by it. Our postcards will be printed on a beautiful cotton fiber paper: if you don’t want to post them, you can always frame them!
Our herbal recipe booklet - 32 pages of cooking tips, anecdotes and the recipes that I have discovered or invented during the last two adventurous years of Daphnis and Chloe research. The booklet will be produced in downtown Athens with the antique Heidelberg printer of our trusted typographer, Mr. Antonis.
Our lovely herbs! - Sage, Thyme, Oregano and Bay Leaves. Each plant was sourced from where in naturally grows better. All our herbs are gathered by hand, dried naturally and packed in a fully recyclable Daphnis and Chloe bag. We have even included a leaflet full of cooking tips, so that you can start practicing straight away!
Our gourmet selection – During our herb trips we often come across amazing local products: olives, figs, sesame treats, honey, salt, pickled herbs… There’s a bunch in our list! We usually take those finds home and taste them with our friends. You see, we have secret plans about including some of them to our catalogue. You could be among the first testers of this special range! Everything comes from our trusted suppliers across Greece and in most cases those products are available in limited quantities...
Our private dinner – Good herbs can make your food taste better. They pair well with hundreds of ingredients and they are good for your health. We have prepared a seasonal menu (full of hard to find Greek delicacies) for you and for three of your friends. We’ll be happy to come and cook it at your place. We’ll bring the ingredients and help you choose the liquors. If you want, we'll also show you our tricks and tips so that next time you can repeat the recipes by yourself! If you have any questions you can write us an email: hello@daphnisandchloe.com
Our herbal tea - The folklore tradition of Greece is soaked with herbal rituals and zestful eats: time ago we discovered an ancient Cretan elixir handed down through a dialectic poem. It contains 40 different herbs and it’s delicious, but some of the components are extremely hard to find. Before including it to our range, we need to do more research. The ambassador of this blend will receive a special mention on the packaging plus a yearly supply of the blend. If you have any questions you can write us an email: hello@daphnisandchloe.com
Daphnis and Chloe would have never happened without the sincere support, advice, expertise and love of my friends: Omar, Aspasia, Eleni, Dimitra, Adrianna, Marcela, Theo, Stezo, Victor, Meletis, Robbie, Daren, Panayiotis, Ion, Yiannis, Oscar… Thank you guys!
Risks and challenges
2012 has been a very didactic year for Daphnis and Chloe. We have sorted out many common start-up problems. As long as we achieve our Kickstarter goal, we'll be able to deliver what we promised. Regarding our gourmet selection, if the demand is really high we might have to substitute a couple of goods with others that are equally special. All has been done to avoid any potential risks in delivering on time. In any case we'll always keep you up to date!
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Have a question? If the info above doesn't help, you can ask the project creator directly.
Rewards
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Pledge £7 or more
16 backers
“THE GOOD LUCK REWARD!” – A little prize for the ones who simply want to show their appreciation: We appreciate you too, and we’ll send you a Daphnis and Chloe recipe postcard plus one sample of our herbs. Fate will decide which one. Worldwide shipping is included.
Estimated delivery:Ships anywhere in the world -
Pledge £9 or more
3 backers
Thank you, thank you, thank you! For you a set of two recipe postcards that we designed exclusively for our wonderful Kickstarter supporters! Each card is decorated with watercolours inspired by our recipes and printed on a beautiful cotton fiber paper: if you don’t want to post them, you can always frame them! Worldwide shipping is included.
Estimated delivery:Ships anywhere in the world -
Pledge £18 or more
26 backers
A bag of our very first batch of Greek Oregano and our set of limited edition postcards. All of our herbs arrive in a handmade, fully recyclable Daphnis and Chloe paper bag. There's also a leaflet with some our favourite recipes and cooking tips. For shipping outside Europe please add £3.
Estimated delivery:Ships anywhere in the world -
Pledge £24 or more
9 backers
Not a ladle virtuoso? Don't worry! We have reserved you a bag of our very first batch of Greek Oregano plus the first Daphnis and Chloe publication: Our little book of herby cooking tips and Mediterranean recipes! For shipping outside Europe please add £3.
Estimated delivery:Ships anywhere in the world -
Pledge £36 or more
6 backers
The essentials of Mediterranean cooking: a bag of our peppery Greek Oregano, one of our ambrosial Sage and one of the most spectacular Bay Leaves that you've ever tasted. All of our herbs arrive in handmade, fully recyclable Daphnis and Chloe paper bags. For shipping outside Europe please add £4.
Estimated delivery:Ships anywhere in the world -
Pledge £48 or more
6 backers Limited (44 left of 50)
THE OREGANO TESTER: You where told that there’s only one kind of oregano? Well, we have many in our list! Get a set of THREE Daphnis and Chloe oreganos: Our trademark, peppery Greek oregano from Taygetus plus two LIMITED varieties that are not in our official list: our oregano onites from Amorgos (pairs well with cheese and grilled veggies) and our oregano from the island of Cephalonia (perfect for legume soups and fragrant stews!) We will include our recipe book. For shipping outside Europe please add £4.
Estimated delivery:Ships anywhere in the world -
Pledge £54 or more
5 backers
THE HERB SAVER'S REWARD: Get 3 sets of the essentials of Mediterranean cooking, one for you and two for your friends, at 30 percent off our retail price! Each pack includes a bag of our peppery Greek Oregano, one of our ambrosial Sage and one of the most spectacular Bay Leaves that you've ever tasted. All of our herbs arrive in handmade, fully recyclable Daphnis and Chloe paper bags. For shipping outside Europe please add £4.
Estimated delivery:Ships anywhere in the world -
Pledge £64 or more
25 backers Limited (86 left of 111)
EARLY SUPPORTERS LIMITED: Early birds get it all! Oregano, Sage, Bay Leaves, our postcards, the recipe book PLUS a bag of our delicious, rare THYME flowers which are available only in very LIMITED quantities! Each of the 111 boxes are numbered. For shipping outside Europe please add £6.
Estimated delivery:Ships anywhere in the world -
Pledge £64 or more
2 backers
Herbal Cooks Pro: If you haven't tried it, you won’t be able to imagine how far home cooking can go with a proper supply of herbs. Now is the moment to find out! Get our artisanal Greek Oregano, our Greek Sage, our delicious green Bay Leaves, our postcards AND the recipe book. For shipping outside Europe please add £6.
Estimated delivery:Ships anywhere in the world -
Pledge £138 or more
5 backers
EUROPE ONLY: Some of our farmers don't just make herbs. In the islands bees feed on the most unspoiled thyme flowers and the locals make delicious thyme honey. In the centenary olive groves of the mainland olives get picked and pressed little by little to produce the most fragrant cold pressed extra virgin olive oil. In Kalamata they are masters in drying figs (with oregano, as a Greek tradition requires). Then come the spectacular lentils of Eglouvi, our picked greens, and many other foods that have rarely travelled outside Greece. We have prepared a nice box of provisions selected from our favourite suppliers. We added a set of three Daphnis and Chloe herbs and our recipe booklet in order to make you experience greek rural feasting at its finest! We can deliver this reward only within the European Union. Shipping is included.
Estimated delivery:Ships anywhere in the world -
Pledge £148 or more
1 backer
INTERNATIONAL GOURMANDS: Some of our farmers don't just make herbs. In the islands bees feed on the most unspoiled thyme flowers and the locals make delicious thyme honey. In the centenary olive groves of the mainland olives get picked and pressed little by little to produce the most fragrant cold pressed extra virgin olive oil. In Kalamata they are masters in drying figs (with oregano, as a Greek tradition requires). Then come the spectacular lentils of Eglouvi, our picked greens, and many other foods that have rarely travelled outside Greece. We have prepared a nice box of provisions selected from our favourite suppliers. We added a set of three Daphnis and Chloe herbs and our recipe booklet in order to make you experience greek rural feasting at its finest! This is the international version of our hamper. Worldwide shipping is included.
Estimated delivery:Ships anywhere in the world -
Pledge £246 or more
0 backers Limited (50 left of 50)
Eat, Love, Gift: Nine sets of Sage, Oregano, Bay Leaves and our hard to find Thyme, which is available in very LIMITED QUANTITIES! Each set comes in a Daphnis and Chloe gift box for presenting your surprise properly. PLUS a special gift from Daphnis and Chloe: NINE of our recipe books! For shipping outside Europe please add £12
Estimated delivery:Ships anywhere in the world -
Pledge £850 or more
0 backers Limited (4 left of 4)
ATHENS, LONDON and MILAN ONLY: You just booked in for a Mediterranean early-summer dinner for four, prepared by Daphnis and Chloe in your house! We'll bring the herbs, you'll choose the recipes from our list. If you want, we'll also give you all our cooking tips so that next time you can repeat the dinner by yourself. Considering that we'll fly all the way from Greece to come and cook for you (flight and allocation expenses are totally paid by us) it sounds like a good deal, right?
Estimated delivery: -
Pledge £2,800 or more
1 backer All gone!
Wow, this is getting really serious! Thanks to you we'll be able to develop one of our great dreams: a delicious herbal infusion based on an folkloric recipe from Crete. For being the one who made this blend happen, your name will figure on the packaging of this mysterious drink. You will also receive an entire years supply of the blend, to enjoy with your family and friends.
Estimated delivery:
Funding period
- (27 days)