The amazing Mastic Liqueur producer from Chios island
Stoupakis distillery started its operation in 1896 in Chios Island, Greece, which was still under Turkish occupation, although the main part of Greece had gained its freedom. Stoupakis distillery is family owned and family members, from father to son have maintained this tradition for more than 115 years. Stoupakis company was first engaged with the farming, the olive and ouzo production. The unique recipe, based on aniseed from Chios, made Ioannis Stoupakis’s ouzo particularly popular in the area, and in 1900 he managed to obtain an official license from the Turkish authorities in order to establish a distillery.
The ouzo travelled to all the villages of the island, even to the northern ones, while trade with the coast of Asia Minor flourished. In 2008 the company was renamed into “Stoupakis distillery of Chios S.A.” producing ouzo and and the famous Mastic liqueur of Chios under the name “Homericon”. The name is after the the famous poet of antiquity Homer, as Chios is claimed to be its birthplace.
The traditional mastic liqueur “HOMERICON” is produced through the extraction of genuine mastic into alcohol, in the same traditional manner as it used to be in the past, without any process or technical means. This natural resin is extracted from the trunks of the mastic trees, which are cultivated exclusively in the Mastichochoria (mastic villages) of Chios island, and distinguishes itself because of its unique aroma, its rich body and the intense after-taste.
In 2008, a new production unit was established, which modernized the entire production procedure, maintaining however the traditional way of distilling ouzo and mastic. Combining the knowledge, experience and tradition and having modern facilities and state-of-the-art equipment, Stoupakis Distillery always offers high quality products.
The facilities are fully equipped with a great number of stills and many modern production and bottling lines. The distillery’s warehouses are modern and fully meet all the health and safety requirements. Here, the products are stored for as long as it takes, so that they acquire their unique taste. The company has invested significant funds in the quality control sector, setting up a state-of-the-art laboratory staffed with chemists, engineers and connoisseurs. For that reason, the products, always meeting the highest quality standards, maintain their unique taste unalterable for centuries now; the taste preferred by those who know how to recognize and enjoy genuineness.