Eight stubborn souls on the Lasithi Plateau stick to their roots, literally. These eight aren’t hobbies-with-a-hat farmers, but committed locals who care whether you bite into mud or flavor.
They’re the first in the “Regenerating Lassithi Plateau and Its People: Towards a Sustainable Food Destination” initiative. The project isn’t just some brochure fluff; it’s run by Metaxa Hospitality Group, working alongside the Lassithi Agricultural Cooperative—real experts who don’t flinch at cow manure or endless questions.
Why bother? Because soil health is more than a buzzword for these folks. With help from agriculture pros, the group learns in the field, not in a stuffy classroom. “Hands-on” means hands in the dirt, learning how regenerative agriculture can banish chemical overkill and revive tired land. Forget talking about sustainability; these people are fixing lunch from the ground up.
From Local Fields to Hotel Plates
The story doesn’t end at the farm. All those peppers, greens, and surprise seasonal goodies don’t vanish at the village market. Instead, they head straight to Metaxa Group’s hotels, letting tourists taste Crete at its freshest and crankiest—no supermarket shortcuts.
By making local produce the highlight of their dining tables, the Group gives visitors a real sense of place—right down to the stubborn, sunburned hands that grew it. It’s farm-to-table but without the city-folk marketing nonsense.
The results? Tourists get honest food, the farmers get a steady demand, and everyone gets a reminder that real food roots matter. Along the way, they build bridges between local agriculture and tourism, which desperately needed each other.
Take a hard look at these eight. They’re not just farming for the fields; they’re pulling the strings of much more significant change.
- They stand as proof that the local economy can grow without endless beach resorts.
- They boost environmental awareness – pollinators and soil thank them.
- They fight for a future where visitors can still taste tomatoes that don’t come from a plastic packet.
In 2025, this isn’t just about food. It’s about attitude, grit, and a loud refusal to let traditional farming go extinct. If you’re traveling to Crete, keep an eye out for the real stars behind your next meal.
From Plot to Plate: How Regenerative Agriculture Takes Over the Menu
Here’s how this operation—which wants you to relax, enjoy, and judge less—actually runs:
- Only members of the Lasithi Plateau Agricultural Cooperative get to participate.
- Plots get handpicked for the job, and farmers are walked through the maze of European organic rules.
- Every season starts with a crop plan that covers what gets planted, how much, and when Metaxa’s resorts will start asking, “Where’s my parsley?”
- Farmers don’t just wing it. They go through training on regenerative techniques tailored for the Lassithi Plateau. Local flavor matters.
- Nothing gets rubber-stamped and forgotten. The approach gets poked and prodded all season to see if it’s working.
- The “fruits” (and veggies) of this effort show up in resort kitchens and on tourists’ plates, for an eating experience that is local, organic, and far from boring.
How to Join the Lassithi Plateau Organic Program
Joining the program isn’t rocket science, but don’t expect to just show up with a shovel. Members of the Lasithi Plateau Agricultural Cooperative start by selecting suitable fields, ensuring that every patch of dirt meets European Regulation 2018/848. If you think rules about organic farming sound boring, wait till someone reads them to you. From Metaxa Hospitality Group:
- Selecting appropriate plots for cultivation and guiding farmers in aligning with European Regulation 2018/848 on organic farming.
- Collaborating with farmers and our group’s procurement departments to develop a tailored cropping plan, detailing quantities, products, and delivery timelines.
- Providing training for participating farmers in the implementation of organic regenerative practices specific to the Lassithi Plateau area.
- Ensuring continuous evaluation of practices to enable necessary adjustments for optimal outcomes.
- Supplying products cultivated through organic regenerative practices to our resorts, enhancing our guests’ experience.
Then, cooperative leaders and farmers huddle to set up cropping plans. These plans spell out what’s grown, how much, and by when. The fun part? If the numbers don’t work, neither do you. Every delivery gets scheduled down to the last carrot.
Of course, no one is born an organic wizard. Training sessions walk farmers through every step of regenerative techniques fit for the Lasithi Plateau. Miss one lesson and a senior agronomist haunts your dreams—or, worse, your fields.
Next up: endless rounds of evaluation and regular reviews help the team tweak methods so the produce meets the holy grail of organic standards.
