01 / ROOTED IN CHIOS
Many chapters.
One family story.
A story of Chios, of work and enterprise, and of connections carried across generations.
The Cardassilaris family’s roots in Chios are documented as early as 1825. The surviving records place the name among the communities of Chora, Kampos and Neochori.
Across marriage contracts, property records and family accounts, a picture emerges of generations connected to the island: its land, its people and its working life. The written record gives us a starting point for a story that reaches further back.
A history you can hold.
A horseman. A tiger. A name printed in more than one language. The surviving posters and wrappers bring this trading world into view.
Their lettering, colours and worn paper belong to the family’s visual memory. They also explain something of our identity today: the wish to be recognised, remembered and connected.
02 / A FAMILY AT WORK
Growers. Traders.
Makers.
Citrus fruit, almonds, figs and mastic are woven into the family’s commercial history. Orchards, almond groves and vineyards formed part of a world in which cultivation and trade stood close together.
Over time, that activity extended into packing, warehousing and exports. Oranges, mandarins, lemons and dried fruit carried the family’s trading names beyond the island.
Enterprise in many forms.
The family’s working life took many forms. Nineteenth-century records include wine and spirits trading; later generations worked in fruit exports, shipping agency activities and the handling of hides and leather.
A tannery acquired in 1911 became part of this wider enterprise. Family accounts also describe carpentry and sack-making workshops supporting the practical business of packing and moving goods.
Different branches pursued different opportunities, building businesses around the products, skills and markets of their time.
03 / CONNECTED TO THE WORLD
An island beginning.
An international life.
By 1908, an international commercial directory recorded the family’s activities in trade, tanning and shipping representation. A shop in Piraeus followed in 1921, bringing the business closer to a major trading port.
The following decades saw new companies, new partnerships and a growing role in nuts and dried fruit. Later generations developed processing and export businesses, including the enterprise that became Cardico.
These were distinct businesses and family branches. Together, they form a shared heritage of adapting, building and looking beyond familiar markets.
A family history. A personal connection.
Today, Constantinos Cardassilaris brings his own experience to international brokerage in nuts, dried fruit and seeds.
We connect buyers with growers and suppliers, help clarify requirements and commercial terms, and remain involved as each conversation becomes a trading relationship.
Our history gives us a sense of belonging. The attention we give each collaboration is how we carry it forward.
CARDASSILARIS FAMILY
From Chios.
To the world.
One place at the beginning. Personal connections carried across generations.
A symbolic illustration of the family’s international connections.