Stylianos Rassoulis was born in 1955 and raised in the idyllic village of Sisses, built on the rocky slopes of the tallest mountain in Crete, Mount Psiloritis. From an early age, he was taught to respect nature as well as appreciate the “treasures” found all around the hillsides.

The “treasure” that captured his attention the most, was the so-called plant “Labdanum”, or Cistus Creticus, as it is best known from ancient times. Soon, Stellios was enchanted by the amount of potential “beneficial uses” of the herb. Bringing the wisdom gained by the knowledge that was passed down, like tradition, from the elder members of his family, he founded Rassoulis Stylianos General Trading.

From early May up to late August, the Aladanarides collect the Labdanum resin in the traditional way, manually, using the wooden tool ladanisterion (a tool made of wood and strips of leather). A method, that dates back to ancient years. More specifically, the gatherers collect the resin manually, with a push-pull movement over the bushes, a challenging handwork, taking place under the blazing sun at about 32-35 °C and rocky slopes. The collected resin is taken to the company facilities, where they go under process, then boxed and ready to ship all around the world!