The Greek soap-eggs made in Xanthi and their contemporary history

“Cosmetics production is like cooking. You make the recipe, execute it correctly and enjoy the final product,” says Panagiotis Koutsouridis.

And here comes the inexorable question. How do you spell it? Egg or egg? The Babiniotis Dictionary, judging that the word egg is correct and explaining the preference, refers to linguistics and the evolution of this word from the original word “oon” in ancient Greek. Having the bg phonemes by phonetic progression, egg is normally spelled with -b- (the ovals > taua > tawa > tauga > tauga > t’ egg).

On the other hand, Triandafyllidis ‘ dictionary accepts the same origin for this word, but considers that its evolution and the modification it underwent could also give the type egg, which was considered correct for quite some time, however, its spelling has been questioned relatively recently.

In this text I will write it egg and take the pity, to look stale, on my neck.

The Latin phrase
Ab ovo
literally means
“from the egg, from the beginning”.
It refers to one of the twin eggs from which, according to Greek mythology, Helen of Troy was born when Zeus had transformed into a swan and mated with Leda. If the egg had not been made, Helen would not have been born, she would not have fallen in love with Paris and he would not have stolen her to go to Troy and so the Trojan War would not have started and so on.

And since we have found an edge with the egg, from which everything seems to come, we move on to the egg-soap, which is our topic today. In chemistry, soap (from the original Greek “sapon”, since we are dealing with antiquity) is the salt of a fatty acid, saturated or unsaturated, consisting of a chain of at least eight carbon atoms with a base or a mixture of such salts. Panagiotis Koutsouridis, from Xanthi, had the idea to combine two important formations into one.

“We had some outbreaks and the quarantine in Echino, but now everything is fine”
Panagiotis tells me, on the phone, when we spoke to ask him some first things about his soaps. It goes without saying that initially the discussion went to the dominant issue of the time, the virus that has locked us up. But, and in the process, again, the news set the pace, since soap is the biggest trend of the day. Soap and water. That and nothing else. The combination that beats – literally, everything.

-What is the history of Thraco soaps?

What’s the story? It all started in 2012 when I decided to start my own soap production business. I can’t say it was an easy start. But I had a lot of people by my side to support me. My parents, my wife’s parents, our brothers and sisters and many good friends. Soon the first products came, the first partnerships and everything started to take its way. Until, in April 2018, some friends – partners were found who gave another impetus and the individual soap production business gave its place – the baton – to the cosmetics production company “Cosmetics of Thrace I.K.E.” ThraCo P.C.

-What is your story?

I was born 41 years ago in Xanthi where I grew up. Quiet since he was a baby, a mediocre student at school but one of those who were always in “trouble”, a graduate of IEK in accounting, an undergraduate student of the Hellenic Academy of Fine Arts in the department of Greek culture and… recently back at the desk as a “Pharmaceutical and Cosmetics Technician”. I love music, reading, photography, hiking, gardening and cooking. I like to play with my two boys and play and plant flowers with my wife.

-What are the key features of your soaps that make them stand out?

Cosmetics production is like cooking. You make the recipe, execute it correctly and enjoy the final product. Some of our new soaps, soon to be released, are reminiscent of recipes for a quick meal, with ingredients such as honey, milk, butter, propolis, dark chocolate. The materials you use are what give value to the final product. The more pure, the better the result. So this is our “motto”. Pure and tested materials from the local, Greek and global market. Soon in our online store
www
.
thraco
.
gr
you will be able to find all our product lines. Finally we note – emphasize that they are natural, handmade and made with the cold production method

-Now that soap has become a (more than) basic necessity, has the demand increased?

Since the consumer has discovered liquid soap, bar soap has lost a significant part of its place in consumer preference. In recent years it has started to regain consumer preference. But in the period we are going through, with the entry into our lives of covid -19, soap has emerged as an appropriate solution for personal hygiene and this has resulted in an increase in demand.

-Tell me a few words about the soap and egg concept.

What little, much to tell you… it’s a project that started last year (2019). We didn’t manage to complete it properly, I think because it wasn’t the right time. This year the right people were found, who embraced it and took it off the ground. The best partners that a business large or small could find and support. So, this year, we brought back the idea, the
www.umbrellabranding.gr
, our partners, the team that created our image (Brand), our website and our online store, completed the graphic design part and… there you go, the fragrant little eggs on your doorstep.

-How happy does made in Greece make you and how easy or difficult is it?

The real made in Greece makes us proud. And I say the real one because there is another one… the… baptized one! It’s not easy, but you can’t say it’s hard. Obstacles are meant to be overcome and the “journey” is unique and special for each person. After all, if it were easy, what value would it have?

-Which soap fragrance is your hit?

You know, Xanthi was for many years the city that, worldwide, produced -and still produces- the most exquisite and fragrant variety of tobacco, bassma. To honor our city and its history, we created TOBACCO soap. A wonderful soap with a tobacco fragrance that takes you back to other times. This is our flagship product and will be available soon in our online store.

-Where can we find your soaps?

You can find our soaps at
www.thraco.gr

 

Source: WOMANTOC