17/09-25/09, Lofou, Cyprus
And the story begins…
30 young people meet in a small village, built on three hills, Lofou!
The week passed really fast, due to our amazing time there! We felt the peace and quiet of that small and calm place and we gave Lofou a tone of ours !!
We had marketing 101 sessions and great discussions in general, we tasted traditional food, we got in touch with locals and we had of course some funny activities based on the core of the topic! The program found us waking up really early and starting getting ready to go and collect grapes from the vineyard ! Some of the main events were also the making of palouse, which is a traditional sweet there, the visit of a winery and a traditional wine festival in a neighboring village! So many unique experiences! I really met incredible and nice people from different countries and I made friends! We even said that we need to go back someday and see the trees we planted grow. In the end I have to say that it was a bit sad leaving that place, which means that I really enjoyed my time there !! - Argyro Kritikou

"Trade Vineyards" project was a once in a lifetime experience. I really enjoyed my days in Lofou, I felt so connected to some people there, not only to the Greek group that we had for real a nice time together, but also I want to thank PlanBe and its people, Antonis, Andrea and Maria that were the people that handled the whole project so well. I also met some local people, like Miss Despoina, she invited us to her house ! I think that might have been the highlight of our trip. I also enjoyed learning about Agriculture of Cyprus and local products that are made of grapes. I will never forget "sousouko" and the day we were making it. Thanks for everything ! - Konstantinos Douzenis
It was my first but not my last erasmus!It was a very special experience ,because i had never been with people from other countries for such a long period of time.We had the opportunity to get to know each other and to communicate about various issues,it was very beautiful!Also Lofou, where we lived ,was a beautiful village with so much beauty! The Cyprus team that organized us were friendly people which i loved ,they were in a very good mood and this helped us to get closer and manage to become a team.The program was interesting.Ilived the hands on activities,like picking grapes, cracking almonds and the rest of the process we did to make suzuki as well the trees we planted...Finally I really liked the trip to the villages of Vouni and Omodos and where we could we saw some traditional products made of grape juice and also traditional dances! - Lydia Tasiopoulou
It was the first Erasmus+ project I took part in and I couldn't have had a better first experience! All great and organized down to the last detail. The Growth Hub was always at our disposal for anything we needed. The theme of the "TradE Vineyards" program stood out from the ordinary and had many new things to teach us. The whole process, from harvesting the grapes to pressing, was unique. Visits to the surrounding villages, as well as to the winery "Oinos Gi", in Omodos, Cyprus, the daily activities and lectures of the facilitator, bonding between strangers, are life experiences, which no one lives alone. But the main thing I keep from the program is the new friends, who if I hadn't applied in the first place, I wouldn't have been so lucky to meet them! - Maria Eftychia Balampani
This project has been an amazing opportunity for me to get to know more about local communities and products coming from the vineyards. We discovered the way from the vineyard to the process of grapes up until the consumption of the final products, tasting Cypriot delicacies and local wine.
We had the chance to explore Cyprus’s culture, history, customs and also attempt to make traditional sweets under the guidance of locals which contributed to an authentic experience. Staying at the beautiful village of Lofou and exploring the surrounding villages was an amazing opportunity for us to explore and immerse in the culture of Cyprus especially when it comes to the importance of vineyard, wine and derived products. Moreover, it was a chance to learn and strengthen our knowledge in business and to be able to highlight the unique products of the place.
It was an amazing experience and sharing this in a multicultural environment made it even more interesting and enjoyable! - Maria Tasiouli