Information

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masticha.gr is an online shop for selling products via the Internet; It is owned by Chios Shop , a company having it's registered office at Fokionos 4, Navarinou 6 & Kapodistriou 16 Piraeus 18531 .
Our company’s primary concern is to notify you, our website visitors, of the terms and conditions governing the rights and obligations.

Personal data

To initiate a transaction between us, you must disclose some of your personal data to us. When placing an order, you will be asked for your full name, the address to which you want us to ship the products sold, your landline number (or any other telephone number you want us to use for your better service), your e-mail address, etc., and, if you choose to pay by credit card, your card number and expiry date.
In strict compliance with the principles on personal data protection laid down in the relevant laws and international conventions, the company and masticha.gr shall not proceed with any unlawful or unauthorised use.
masticha.gr shall in no way reveal, disclose, sell, or exchange the personal data or information you shared with us. By way of exception, your personal data may be disclosed by the company, always subject to the procedure provided for by law, as required by a Public Authority, a Court, etc.
masticha.gr reserves its right to update its suppliers through sales statistics which, however, will in no case include personal data that could identify you.
Moreover, you may change your personal data which you have shared with us, at any time, as appropriate, by completing the relevant online form.

Payment methods

To facilitate and serve all those who wish to buy goods from our shop, we provide you with the following alternative payment methods:
1.Via VISA or MASTERCARD credit cards issued by any bank
2.Direct deposit to our bank account - ALPHA BANK GR 7401401260126002320002222
3.Payment on Delivery + 2,00 euro

Shipping of orders

Your products will be sent to you to the designated location using courier services.
For areas where it is not possible to ship your order using a courier service, the time of delivery shall be that provided for by Hellenic Post. Shipments shall be made daily, except on Saturday, Sunday and holidays.

Product prices

The prices stated in the relevant lists next to each product include VAT.

Cancellation policy

1.Force Majeure: If for reasons of force majeure (e.g. bad weather conditions, strikes, etc.), delivery of your products within the specified time is not possible, you will be notified via e-mail, in order to declare whether you wish to complete your order, under these circumstances.
2.Liability of masticha.gr: masticha.gr shall not be liable for damages that might occur during transportation.
3.Advertisements: masticha.gr allows its users to opt for updates on any new products launched or any other offers, payment arrangements, etc. by sending advertisements - newsletters to their online or e-mail address or via the telephone. masticha.gr shall not abuse this service. Users are always provided with the option to unsubscribe from advertising communications.

Governing Law

All transactions performed via masticha.gr shall be governed by International and European laws regulating matters relating to electronic commerce, and the Law on consumer protection (Law 2251/1994) regulating matters relating to remote sales.

masticha.gr is bound to respect and protect the privacy of your Internet connection.
masticha.gr shall not sell, lease, or in any other way assign any personal data submitted by our website visitors to any third party. Such data shall mean your name, address, telephone and fax numbers, as well as your e-mail address. This information shall not in any case be used for any direct market or unsolicited follow-up, unless we have previously informed you of this possible use and you have given us your express permission when submitting it. If it has your permission, masticha.gr shall use this information to:

- Send you paper publications or other correspondence
- Send you e-mail press releases or other notifications
- Deliver you products or awards

masticha.gr shall use non-personally-identifiable statistical information (browser type, geographical location) in order to optimise the website, as part of its ongoing internal review process and, in general, to learn more about the consumers of our products.
masticha.gr shall not disclose this information to any third party.
This data shall be used only for the purposes stated above, and shall not be used for any unsolicited communication, unless you give us permission.
Children and young people under the age of 16 are encouraged to get permission from their parents before they submit personal data to the website masticha.gr.

Security - Protection of transactions

The website masticha.gr takes security measure to protect all information from loss, abuse, or alteration.
Our servers have been placed at a dedicated location guarded 24/7; the transactions component uses a firewall and the SSL protocol using 128-bit encryption (the strongest encryption to date), for secure online commercial transactions.

Automatically recorded information

Our web server automatically records some information to help us diagnose problems, manage the Website and collect wider demographic data. This information is anonymous (non-personally-identifiable) and include the domain names and/or IP addresses of browsers visiting our site, the day and time of the visit and other non-personally-identifiable information.

Cookies

A Cookie is a small piece of data sent to your browser from a web server and stored in your computer’s hard drive. Cookies do not damage your system or affect its functionality in any way. Cookies also make it easier for you to navigate the web, by storing your settings.

Our website uses cookies to provide expert services and contents that meet your interests. Our cookies do not include personally-identifiable information. Most browsers accept cookies automatically, but, usually, you may set your browser to prevent this. Even without cookies, you may use most of our website’s characteristics; however, you have to enable cookies to make purchases online.

Origin

Mastic is a natural off-white - ivory colored resin and is transparent to semi-transparent. This natural product is produced from the mastic tree, an evergreen shrub under the scientific name of Pistacia Lentiscus var. Chia. It grows fully after 40 to 50 years and lives 100 years approximately. From the 5th to the 6th year it produces its resin (mastic) and after the 15th year it produces 60 to 400 grams of mastic per year.

Description

Natural crystalline resin, with white or ivory shade, under the form of round-shaped of irregular grains. It has unique flavor and distinctive aroma, which are characteristic of this product. It is product of Protected Designation of Origin and is collected, cleaned and packed in accordance with the laws and regulations of the European Union that are applicable to the food items and the quality stamp of the Chios Mastiha Growers Association.

Characteristics

Almost insoluble in water, but soluble in common organic solvents (acetone, ethyl alcohol, ether, chloroform, hexane etc.) Density 0,96 - 1,08 g/ml Melting range 85-105 g C

Uses

It is widely used in: Pharmacy, production of diet supplements, production of cosmetics and care products, perfumery, aromatherapy, distillery, soap works, cooking, confectionery, sugar confectionery, production of paints and varnishes.

Standardization & Packing

The natural mastic of Chios is available in 3 types - categories depending on the size of grains Thin - grain size 3 - 6 mm Medium - grain size 6 -10 mm Thick - grain size 10 mm All 3 above types of Chios natural mastic are packed in paper of metal packages of 50, 100 & 500 grams.

Indications

Researches and clinical studies carried out by Greek and foreign scientists have shown that mastic does in fact have unique properties. Chios mastic is traditionally used as means for the relief of gastric disorders. Nowadays there are contemporary reports which prove that it drastically suppresses the helicobacter pylori, a fact which explains its therapeutic effect in patients that suffer from peptic ulcer.
It has also been proved that mastic has powerful antimicrobial and antibacterial effect. There are strong indications from studies in Greek and foreign Universities, that mastic has beneficial effect against diabetes mellitus and cholesterol. Finally, Chios mastic contributes decisively to the oral hygiene, while at the same time it provides freshness and unique flavor.

Storage - Maintenance

Chios natural mastic is a stable product under normal conditions of temperature and humidity. However, exposure to solar radiation should be avoided and for this reason it must be kept in a cool and shady place. A well sealed product in its original packing, away from light and in temperature lower 30 C is perfectly maintained for at least 24 months.
It should be mentioned that maintaining the mastic for a longer period of time does not cause undesirable spoilage to the product, but it is likely to cause changes in its characteristics, for example its color might become more yellow, the increase of stiffness while chewing, the partial loss of its aroma.

Cultivation

The mastic tree flourishes exclusively in southern Chios. According to some theories, this is due to the temperate climate and more specifically the microclimate of the region, but also to the subsea volcanoes and the calcareous soil. Efforts were made in the past to cultivate the mastic tree in other regions of Greece as well as in other countries but without success.
The preparation of the mastic tree and the collection of the mastic is a very strenuous work which begins from June, by cleaning the ground from the lentiscus. After the ground is meticulously cleaned, it is spread with a special white soil, which is well sieved. After that the "kentima" in the tree's trunk begins, namely small cuts of 10-15mm once a week for 6-8 weeks. The number of cuts varies from 20-100 depending on the age and size of the tree.
The mastic slowly begins to flow from the sections like teardrops. Most of it falls in the white soil below and it takes 15-30 days until it is solidified, depending on the weather conditions. Afterwards, the collection of the thick mastic begins (big pieces), in the early morning hours, in the middle of August, and of the thin mastic in the beginning of September.
The cleaning of the mastic begins in October - November, immediately after the collection. It is a difficult, time-consuming and specialized process that is executed manually piece by piece, until the mastic takes its final commercial form and is available for sale.