Honouring the Source
Greek Heritage
Chios mastiha is woven into the identity of the island and its historic 'mastic villages' — the Mastichochoria. It carries both European PDO status and UNESCO recognition, honours that confirm this heritage, and this flavour, belong to Chios alone.
- EU Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) since 1997
- UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage (2014)
- Rooted in the 24 Mastichochoria villages of Chios
Protected by name
Since 1997, Chios mastiha has held Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status in the European Union — the same class of protection that guards names like Champagne or Parmigiano Reggiano. In practice it means that authentic Chios mastiha, mastiha oil and ELMA chewing gum can legally come only from the island. The PDO ties the product inseparably to its place: its quality and character are recognised as the result of Chios's specific land, climate and the human know-how of the people who work it.
Recognised by UNESCO
In 2014, the 'know-how of cultivating mastic on the island of Chios' was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity — an honour reserved for living traditions that a community keeps alive across generations. UNESCO singled out mastic cultivation precisely because it is a shared, family-based practice involving people of all ages, passed on by hand and by word rather than written down. It is heritage you can taste.
The mastic villages
At the heart of it all are the Mastichochoria — around two dozen historic villages in the island's south, including Pyrgi with its striking geometric façades, the fortified medieval maze of Mesta, and Olympoi and Armolia. Built and shaped over centuries around the mastic economy, these communities still organise their year around the crop, and their growers' cooperative, the Chios Mastiha Growers Association, safeguards and manages the resin to this day. When we say we honour the source, this is what we mean.
Taste the tradition