Greek lentil & yellow split pea mix – 500 g no soaking required, ready in 30 minutes, naturally thickens • from a family farm in northern Greece • pulses grown in potassium-rich mountain soil
This Greek blend of lentils, red lentils and yellow split peas combines three pulses with different textures; use it in soups, salads and warm dishes, with no soaking required. Adjust the cooking time to create a looser base or a softer mixture for soups. Geusi Vounou means “taste of the mountains” in Greek. The family-run business in Vatolakkos in Western Macedonia is led by agronomist Vasilis Karapas, and pulses are part of the brand’s own farm production.
- ● red lentils soften faster • longer cooking naturally helps thicken the mixture
- ● around 30 minutes cooking time • simply rinse the mixture before cooking
- ● fields at around 600 m above sea level • the farm in the Grevena area can be found in the Greek OpenFarm network
- ● own production and packing • Geusi Vounou grows, packs and brings its agricultural products to market
Lentil, red lentil & yellow split pea mix
The three pulses soften at different rates: red lentils break down more quickly, lentils retain more structure, while yellow split peas make the finished dish naturally creamier. That gives this blend more texture and flexibility than cooking with a single pulse.
No pre-soaking is required. Rinse and cook for approximately 30 minutes according to the pack instructions. To compare one of the components on its own, see our Greek red lentils.
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What makes Geusi Vounou different
- A traceable producer: Geusi Vounou is based in Vatolakkos near Grevena and is led by agronomist Vasilis Karapas, who continued his family’s farming activity.
- Pulses are a significant part of the farm: Agronews reports around 200 stremmata devoted to crops including beans, lentils and chickpeas.
- Fields at around 600 m above sea level: the independent OpenFarm profile places Geusi Vounou’s fields near Vatolakkos at roughly this altitude.
- Grevena soil context: regional agricultural data show a broad pH range and predominantly medium-heavy to heavy soils. The study does not identify Geusi Vounou’s exact plot, so this is useful regional context rather than a laboratory profile of the product.
Ways to use the mix
- Thicker soup: cook with carrot, celery, garlic and tomatoes; the yellow peas and red lentils help create a creamier base.
- Warm salad: cool slightly after cooking and add roasted vegetables, feta and extra virgin olive oil.
- One-pot meal: combine with onion, tomatoes, herbs and seasonal vegetables.
- Side dish: serve simply with lemon, herbs and olive oil.
Browse more legumes or explore the full Geusi Vounou range.
Storage and allergen information
- May contain traces of sesame, cinnamon, mustard seeds, celery, nuts and barley.
- Store in a dry place away from direct sunlight.
Additional parameters
| Category: | Legumes |
|---|---|
| EAN: | 5214002734565 |
| Net weight: | 500 g |
| Form: | dry pulse blend |
| Ingredients: | lentils, red lentils, yellow split peas |
| Country of origin: | Greece |
| Region of origin: | Vatolakkos near Grevena, Western Macedonia |
| Preparation: | no soaking required; rinse and cook for about 30 minutes |
| Uses: | soups, warm salads and one-pot dishes |
| Producer: | Geusi Vounou, Vatolakkos, Grevena, Greece |
| Suitable for: | Vegan |
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Geusi Vounou – “taste of the mountains” from Grevena, Greece
Geusi Vounou (Greek: Γεύση Βουνού, literally “taste of the mountains”) is a family agricultural business from Vatolakkos near Grevena in northern Greece. The brand is run by Vasilis Karapas, an agronomist from a farming family who planted his first oregano on family land in 2014 while still studying. He later added Greek mountain tea, thyme, sage, saffron, lemon balm, other aromatic plants and pulses.
His grandmother Magdalini was an important influence, teaching the family how to work with local herbs and emphasising the value of traditional plant material. What began as a small student project developed into an agricultural brand combining Greek farming and culinary traditions with modern processing control, packing and export.
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Not an anonymous brand. A real farm in Western Macedonia.
- Fields near Vatolakkos at approximately 600 m above sea level – not 680 m, as our website previously stated incorrectly.
- A family farming tradition – Vasilis grew up working in the fields and built on the experience of previous generations.
- Farm-grown herbs are naturally shade-dried to avoid unnecessary loss of aroma during drying.
- Herbs and pulses form the core of the farm’s own production. We use organic claims only for products that are individually certified; the brand’s wider range is not automatically organic.
Greek agricultural press reported in 2023 that the family farm covered approximately 50 hectares, including around 20 hectares of pulses and about 14 hectares of aromatic plants. Cereals used in crop rotation also remained part of the farming system. For the pulses and aromatic crops, the source reported certified organic cultivation.
Why Greek herbs are more than “just another oregano”
With Geusi Vounou, the main difference is not decorative packaging but provenance and the way the raw material is handled. Vasilis describes manual work from planting and weeding through harvesting, drying and packing. With aromatic plants, the aim is to preserve the character of the whole plant with as little processing as possible before packing.
For customers outside Greece, it is also useful to understand what individual Greek ingredients actually are and how they are used. A literal translation of the name is not always enough. Greek mountain tea, dittany, trahanas, kritharaki, hilopitaki and petoura are not marketing terms; they are specific traditional herbs, foods or types of pasta with their own uses.
From herbs and pulses to the wider Greek pantry
Today’s Geusi Vounou range is broader than the farm’s original production. At PraveBio.cz we therefore distinguish between two parts of the assortment:
- The farm-grown core: oregano, thyme, sage, lemon balm, Greek mountain tea, saffron, other herbs and pulses.
- The wider Greek range: traditional pasta, honey, mushrooms and truffle products, flavoured olive oils and other regional foods.
For each product we therefore check origin, ingredients, organic certification, the traditional name and the correct way to use it. The aim is not to sell customers “something Greek” without context, but to explain what makes each ingredient different, how to prepare it and why it has a place in Greek cooking.
Vasilis Karapas: from the first oregano crop to an export brand
Vasilis Karapas was born in Grevena in 1994 and studied agricultural development and farm business management in Thessaloniki. He has worked professionally in agricultural production and packing since 2014. Oregano was the first crop, followed by other aromatic plants and pulses.
Greek media reported in 2024 that more than 70% of production was exported. Exports began in Germany in 2018 and later expanded to other European countries, including the Czech Republic. Geusi Vounou was not created as a souvenir brand for tourists; it grew out of a working agricultural business and now sells its products across several markets.
Geusi Vounou at PraveBio.cz
PraveBio distributes Geusi Vounou in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. As with Ceylon Kokonati, we explain the differences between individual products, their Greek names, how they are used in the kitchen and the genuine USPs of each ingredient. Organic claims are used only where they apply to the specific certified product.
