The Company
History
The Company Aquaculture - V. GEITONAS & Co Ltd was founded in 1985 group of restless and creative people who envisioned pioneer fields of growth.
The rarity of the fish and the high price, made them turn to aquaculture and more specifically in the breeding of eel. The limited knowledge for of breeding and the particularity of type created big difficulties and delays. However after a persistent search for the basic aspects of life and biology of the eel, they ensured the base for planning and construction of the first tanks.
After 10 years of personal work and the investment of a lot of funds, the company V. GEITONAS & Co Ltd established efficient methods of farming, beginning from the smallest commercial size of 150 gr. and reaching to the biggest 1300 gr.Each year they export 170 - 220 tons of its products.
The company V. GEITONAS & Co Ltd achieved to produce and offer the European and Greek markets a variety of eel products (Live, Fresh and Smoked) and excellent quality tilapias and mullets.
Fish Farm
The Eels anguilla-anguilla lay their eggs on the bottom of the Sargasso Sea. They begin life as planktonic larvae called "leptokefaloi. Swept away by sea currents (Gulf Stream), arriving on the shores of Europe and Africa where they transform into glass eels. The capture starts early November and ends in late May.
The eels arrive at Aquaculture - V. GEITONAS & Co Ltd by air in special packaging (boxes).Upon receipt placed in small covered tanks, which begins the first phase of rearing. Their size at this stage ranges from .22 to .35 grams per eel. Eels grow at an environment with constant temperature and with quality and oxygen rich water which is monitored electronically to remain constant at 10 ppm.
The second stage of development (breeding) follows in larger tanks.To ensure the initial quantity, water is supplied from a drilled well. Then using a system of cleaning it is recycled and used at every stage of development. When six months pass eels have exceeded the 40 g. The need for more space is evident. The oxygen is insufficient and ichthyopyknotita (fish density) has reached threshold levels.
At this stage eels are caught and transferred to outdoor tanks, where it developed a slow pace because of changing weather conditions. The approach of the natural farming method gives the eel particular color, taste and shape.
Processing
The Aquaculture Company - V. GEITONAS & Co Ltd offers the Greek and European market high quality smoked and fresh eel. The manufacturing process begins with cleaning the eels. Following is salting and smoking without preservatives and additives in traditional oven.
For the smoking olive wood is used to ensure ideal temperatures and beech wood to give the rich flavor. The smoking takes place at 90°-95°C and lasts about 90 minutes. After the smoking the eels remain in the oven at low temperature with natural smoke until they become rich in flavor. The process concludes with the filleting and standardization of eels in accordance with international standards.
The company applies the Food Safety Management System (ISO 22000:2005) – HACCP.