Three generations same tradition
How it started
“Fotini” Bakery House – its history, progress and upgrade from a small cottage industry to a modern brand are a remarkable example of success.
The ingredients of the Arkatena recipe, which deems the brand so successful, are none other than love, devotion and perseverance in preserving a family heritage, which began in 1935.
Passing from Eleni, our great grandmother, to Fotini, our grandmother and to our mother Stavroula, the basic ingredients of the recipe made by “Fotini Bakery House remain unchanged throughout time.
All of our childhood memories are filled with the smell of freshly baked Arkatena, chickpeas and anise.
Today, we continue this journey by bringing traditional flavors and smells of Cyprus from the beautiful picturesque village of Omodos to your table.
Fotini Bakery House in Omodos Village
The love, devotion and perseverance in preserving the family traditions are the basic factors which contributed to the success of a small cottage industry “Fotini” Bakery House and its evolution into a modern, commercial and par excellence Cypriot brand. It constitutes a live and unchanged tradition, which began in 1935 by our grand grandmother Eleni, then passed to our grandmother Fotini, who gave her name to the product, and continues today by our mother Stavroula.
Back in 1960, Fotini, who had learned the art of Arkatena from her mother Eleni and her mother-in-law Anneta, began making her own Arkatena. Continuing the tradition, which started from a traditional wood-fired oven, Fotini’s daughter Stavroula has upgraded and modernized the production, keeping the flame, passion and love of tradition and Arkatena alive.
The Arkatena is included in the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO.
Continuing the Tradition
“Through the long hours of preparation of arkati, sleepless processes, from kneading to baking, we have always been present since we were little!
All seven of us (children of Stavroula) grew up learning the process of baking, appreciating the toil, love, perseverance, but mostly the devotion needed to make Arkatena.
Longing in turn to teach the value of Arkatena to the younger generations, we expanded our sales network beyond the beautiful and picturesque village Omodos to 600 other locations throughout Cyprus.
We brought Arkatena to the homes of modern families.”
