Tree adoption project aims at preserving traditional mastiha cultivation

Lenia Ziglaki was working as an architectural draughtswoman and her late business partner George Konstantelias as a chief marine engineer when they decided to follow a different path and dedicate themselves to the cultivation of Chios mastiha and olive trees.

As their work became increasingly recognized, more people in southern Chios entrusted them with abandoned family fields so the trees could once again be cultivated and cared for.

“It is a very powerful feeling when you see trees taken care of, well-groomed and ready to offer their fruit,” Lenia explained through the Adopt Chios Trees initiative.

The project was launched in 2019 with the aim of strengthening people’s connection with the mastiha trees of Chios while supporting the continuation of traditional mastiha cultivation, a practice recognized by UNESCO as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Through the initiative, people from around the world can adopt a tree in Chios and receive natural mastiha harvested from their adopted tree, a certificate of adoption, and a personalized photograph of the tree with its name plaque.

Chios mastiha is unique to the southern part of the island and requires demanding year-round cultivation work, including pruning, preparing the soil, spreading white clay beneath the trees, carving the bark, harvesting the resin, and carefully cleaning the tears by hand.

Having grown up in Chios within a family connected to mastiha cultivation, Lenia describes mastiha as part of everyday life and memory — from the scent of the resin filling the home to the preparation and cleaning process before its delivery to the Chios Mastiha Growers Association.

Visit mastiharoots.com for more information.