The cultivation of tomatoes in Santorini started in the late 18th century. Initially its processing was just domestic but later it became industrial, because the unique characteristics and the high quality of the Santorini tomato paste quickly became famous was established in the market. Back in 1925, the dynamics of the crop was so great that there were nine tomato processing factories operating in the island. In 1952 the Union of Santorini Cooperatives built the tomato processing factory "SANTO" in the area of Monolithos Village, which presently is the only one that operates in the island. Its beautiful architecture is still preserved after the restoration and renovation that was implemented in 2015, utilizing funding from the European Union. SANTO continues to produce high quality gourmet products from Santorini Tomato PDO and to create innovative new products highlighting all over the world the uniqueness of the local products to consumers who seek authentic flavors.
