The company is located at Vavla village in the mountainous area of Larnaca district. In an agricultural land with a great view of the mountains, 1 km away from the built area of the community of Vavla. Ecophysis is 10 km away from another famous touristic village, Lefkara and 10 km away from a famous pre-historic monument in Choirokoitia village.
Private Company
2015
Vavla, Larnaka, Cyprus
The Director, Mrs. Georgia Shoshilou, was born and raised at Lefkara village. Her favorite hobbies as a child were outdoor picnics and the interest for wild mushrooms in the fields. At the age of eighteen, she decided to study Biological Science at University of Patras – Greece, and afterwards she specialized in Wildlife, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.
As an activist, Georgia returned to the rural area of Larnaca and felt the need to share the knowledge and beauty of Cyprus nature with others. Costas, (Georgia’s husband) learned to love the art of beekeeping from his godfather during the 1990s. Since then he has been a professional beekeeper with more than 600 beehives under his supervision in the areas of Vavla, Layia, Kato Drys and Lefkara villages.
In the Ecophysis Bee & Nature Center, visitors have the opportunity to taste the honey, to participate in picnics and walks, to make products using the honey, to become a beekeeper for a day and to experience a range of recreational activities for individuals,couples,families and schools. Educational workshops are organized along with beekeeping activities, innovative and creative experiences.
Georgia and Costas have managed to work in their home / village, raising their children near nature and offering unique activities to their guests. They have received very positive reviews since their opening in 2015.
When asked about the advantages of multifunctionality, Georgia mentioned that they do not invest only in production so their income does not depend only on honey (and other beekeeping products) production, since this is related with the weather conditions each season. Additionally they do not depend on traders to promote their products since they promote themselves in the best possible way by showing the production process along with their guests who later become their loyal customers. Finally, multifunctionality is much more profitable than working only in the agricultural sector but the second one secures a basic level of income even in situations of economic crises – people will always seek for food. Therefore multifunctionality offers funding opportunities which increase the possibilities of income.
Some problems that they are facing is the difficulty to convince travel agencies that their guests will enjoy these agritourism services as much as they have already liked the most popular sides of Cyprus e.g. beaches, etc and the tour operators’ phobia of bee stings. Finally another problem is that the farm should upgrade all the visitor areas in order to become more friendly and accessible for everyone.
Their primary goal is to enrich their services and in a more luxurious style while maintaining the rustic style that people love about Ecophysis Center.
At the age of eighteen, Georgia studied Biological Science at University of Patras – Greece, and afterwards she specialized in Wildlife, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health at the University of Edinburgh – Scotland. After five-year of experience she was a Scientific Counselor in the Federation of Environmental Organizations of Cyprus (NGOs) that she provided expertise on issues of ecological balance, environmental policy, and raising awareness regarding natural heritage and rural development. Together with Costas, also went through many seminars related to business management, hospitality issues, sustainability issues, etc.
Some of the services they offer related to tourism are hiking/trekking, nature observation,educational activities and workshops, social farming, recreational activities, tasting, local gastronomy workshops etc. Additionally Ecophysis Bee Nature Center is an active member of Cyprus Agrotourism Company which is part of other tourism networks and organizations. Ecophysis activities are definitely related with sustainability, promotion of local products to the hotel industry etc.
Authenticity is the key for offering good services, based on Georgia’s and Costa’s experience. According to what Georgia said she would invest more in the beginning of her business and have more faith in her ideas. She believes that she has succeeded because she wasn’t a beekeeper (but her husband was) so she could see the beauty of this activity as an outsider and transform it into an educational and recreational activity. And, at the same time, she was a passionate biologist who loved teaching and guiding people from all ages. Finally, as she mentioned the basic reasons for being so successful were their background in a) science, b) practical beekeeping, c) socializing, d) love and respect for each other and d) love for their village and the nature.
The Farms’ Charm project aims to develop learning materials to educate small and medium-sized farmers in possible ways of starting their agritourism activities which will help them not only diversify their incomes but also promote their farm products directly to consumers. All that while reviving the rural areas and local communities and promoting a sustainable way of tourism which is in line with the tendencies of slowing down and staying longer at one area.
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. The content of this website reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
