Soap factory owner: the longer the soap is stored and dried, the better it is.

This soap must be included in the “must-have souvenir list” of everyone who visits Corfu. Raw olive oil soap, unsightly packaged, very similar to our farm soap. Somehow, many tourists don’t even notice it – they grab it with pictures . Or maybe because Patouni soap is cheap? .

“Patouni” is the best, purest, cleanest soap in all of Corfu, made in the oldest soap factory in Greece using authentic century-old technology and with old equipment. This soap factory is included in the list of intangible heritage of Greece.

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When I first entered the Patouni soap factory in Corfu town about 4 or 5 years ago, I felt as if I had moved back a century. Large wooden boxes full of soap, giant tanks, boilers. A boy of about 8 years old, sitting on a stool, is concentratedly sticking labels on bars of soap. Just don’t think that this is child exploitation, please. It’s just that in Greece, children are trained to work on their parents’ farms from childhood .

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In the very old town of Corfu Town, very close to Sanroko Square, a soap factory has been operating since 1891. Almost 150 years ago, the history of the factory began on the island of Zakynthos, 20 years later it moved to Corfu, and since then – 130 years of continuous work.

The history of the factory began in a very unusual way. Two cousins ​​from the island of Zakynthos – Apostolis Patounis and Spiros Bazakis – traded with the French. They transported woolen blankets made on the island of Zakynthos to Marseille, and from the French they received soap, which they sold in the Ionian Islands. The business partner took the cousins ​​to Marseille soap factories, showed them how soap was made, and told them about the technology. And in 1850, the cousins ​​began producing “green, especially pure soap” themselves on the island of Zakynthos.

In 1891, Apostolis Patounis’ son Nikolaos, who had studied architecture in Athens, built a small factory on what is now Theotokio Street – at that time a branch of the Patounis and Bazakis soap factory.

Around 1930, the families divided the business. Bazakis remained in Zakynthos, where he worked until 1970, while the Patounis family moved to Corfu, where they continue production to this day.

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Now the factory has retained the same structure as it did 130 years ago. Once you enter the door (by the way, you should look closely at the signs so as not to miss it) – there is a small shop. Soap in boxes and on shelves (by the way, it is cheaper here than in souvenir shops). You can also buy soap shavings here.

There is also a chemist’s room, opened in the 19th century (by the current Patounis’ grandfather). Next is the laboratory, where the boilers are located.

The largest part is occupied by the room for soap making, pouring into molds, and storing soap.

All the old mechanisms have been preserved in the factory, and the soap is made according to old recipes that are no longer used anywhere in Greece.

In 2008, the then Minister of Culture signed papers declaring this factory a Greek cultural monument.

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A large part of the production goes abroad, about 70 percent to Japan and Germany.

What does the current owner of the factory, Apostolis Patounis (the fifth generation) himself say? In the 60s, when the market was conquered by factory-made synthetic soaps, many soap factories closed, only Patouni remained. He makes green soap using old technologies and with the same tools as his great-great-grandfather. Those grandmothers who bought soap from Apostolis’ grandfather now buy from him. They come and ask: “Give me a kilogram of that household soap.” Apostolis Patounis says: the longer the soap is dried (and he dries it for 3-4 months or longer), the better it is.

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Natural soap. Inexpensive. Non-allergenic. Cleans and washes very well.

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By the way, free tours of the factory are organized almost every day. But you need to register for them in advance.

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So, if you want real, chemical-free and truly handmade soap, please visit the Patouni factory in Corfu.