The Santorini Cherry Tomato: A Small Fruit with a Big Story

At the factory of the Association Cooperatives of Theraic Products – Santo Wines

Among stones, volcanic soil, and the island’s dry winds, a small yet powerful fruit thrives. The Santorini cherry tomato (tomataki for the locals) doesn’t need much; water, sunlight, the volcanic earth, and the DNA of its seed are enough. It’s dense, deep red, full of flavor and character. A product that speaks of its land before you even taste it.

Since 2013, it has been recognized as a PDO product. But truthfully, this tomato has always stood out. It’s cultivated without irrigation, in poor but mineral-rich volcanic soil. The seeds aren’t started in nurseries like elsewhere, they go straight into the ground, just as generations of Santorini farmers have done. These growers know their land and the patience it demands.

Each tomato harvested is Santorini in miniature: naturally sweet due to high sugars, bright with acidity, and packed with vitamin C, antioxidants, and lycopene, known for its health benefits, including prostate protection.

The SantoWines tomato paste factory in Monolithos is not just a production facility. It’s a vessel of memory. Built in 1952 during hard financial times, with support and the strength of the local cooperative members, it has now been renovated but continues to operate 73 years later, preserving this rare variety and its seed.

This year’s yield was low. Just 15 tons of fresh fruit were collected, due to drought and the pressures of climate change. Yet as the president of the Union of Santorini Cooperatives, Markos Kafouros, says:
“Small production, but outstanding quality and unique flavor. We thank the remaining growers, we are always by their side.”

Every step of production is handled with care, ensuring products with true identity. Nothing mass-produced, nothing generic. Just flavor with character:

• Double-concentrated tomato paste – perhaps the richest and most flavorful you’ll ever try

• Whole tomatoes in juice – a delicious substitute for fresh tomatoes

• Spread with tomato, honey, ginger & mastiha – a bold blend of traditional and surprising

• Dip with paste, olive oil, capers & thyme – a ready-made meze in every spoonful

• Tomato sauce with Vinsanto wine – a refined pairing that elevates any dish

Whether you’re on the island or far away, you can bring the authentic taste of Santorini to your table through our e-shop.

Because some things, no matter how small, deserve to be preserved, not just as food, but as memories, as flavors, and as a continuation of a place. Like this tiny tomato that carries the whole of Santorini within it.