Meet the Team
Meet the faces behind our journey to cultivate sustainable and regenerative systems. Discover their unique backgrounds, passions, and contributions to our mission of a sustainable future.
Permanent members – the Pigadians
Meet Jules
Jules is the founder and dreamer of Dio Pigadia. Coming from a background in academia, studying sociology and political philosophy, he came from the library not the land. Sitting at a desk with a computer he felt the need for the outdoors and left the office for the sea, teaching sailing lessons and repairing boats in France. Working in shipyards he learnt essential manual skills that would prove valuable in his future at the farm. He eventually set sail solo across the world exploring different places and new cultures. Feeling a responsibility and duty to the earth and guided by a desire to grow his roots, he dreamt up Dio Pigadia. The project focuses on an alternate way of living, and co-creating a better future together. The volunteers started to come by themselves, guided by a similar philosophy in the face of the ecological crisis. Dio Pigadia is a community-based ever-growing project. Education, ecology and living together are the key pillars we experience and share. If you can’t find Jules, he’ll be rummaging in the tip for up-cycled materials or conversing with the donkey — Vouno.
Role: Manager, social media, volunteer coordination
Stay: October 2018 — present
Favorite activity on the farm: Dreaming about the future of the farm.
Why did you come here? A mix of destiny, luck and love.
Favorite quote: “The tragic reality is that very few sustainable systems are designed by those who hold power, and the reason for this is obvious and simple: to let people arrange their own food, energy and shelter is to lose economic and political power over them. We should cease to look for power structures, hierarchical systems or governments to help us and devise ways to help ourselves.”- Bill Mollison
Meet Argyro
Originally from Crete, Greece, Argyro studied theory and history of art in Athens. After living in the city for a few years, she started volunteering in different eco projects around Europe before deciding to come to Dio Pigadia. Being a vinyasa and hatha yoga teacher, Argyro offers yoga workshops for the volunteers on the farm twice a week. Furthermore, she takes care of the gardens and the rental cottages. She loves photography and sailing. You will most likely find her with the farm dogs; Skoni and Skordo or cooking and baking outstanding food.
Role: Garden maintenance, taking care of cottages, bread making
Stay: February 2024 — present
Favorite activity on the farm: Teaching yoga and taking care of the dogs.
Why did you come here? I wanted to live as part of a community close to nature.
Favorite quote: I don’t like quotes 😉
Meet Petros
Petros and his daughter Ariadne have come from the alternative islands of Ikaria and Lesvos. Petros has had many lives before, from fisherman to gardener, sailor to horse whisperer. So he naturally cares for animals and plants, but also humans! In practical terms, he’s the go-to person for everything that keeps the farm running smoothly. From managing catering and purchasing materials to organizing volunteer transport, Petros handles it all. And when it comes to the magic of numbers, he’s the one who weaves the spell behind the farm’s accounting.
Role: Farm running and maintenance, garden carer, accounting
Stay: August 2024 — present
Favorite activity on the farm: Whispering to the ears of the donkey and horse.
Why did you come here? It was my dream and was meant to be.
Meet Yiannis
Yiannis is a man of many past lives — he has worked as a builder, a lifeguard, a sailor, and an educator. Most notably, he and his wife Katerina organized a educational project for families and young children in a refugee camp on Lesvos. They brought together refugees and local residents in intercultural activities that created and strengthened resilient relationships. After the birth of their son Marcos, they decided they wanted him to grow up with an alternative lifestyle than they had, something close to nature where they could be more in touch with their senses. Yiannis knew Jules from his days as a sailor, and coming to Dio Pigadia seemed the natural choice. Yiannis loves to build things and his first farm project was building a house extension for the house he and his family currently reside in. You can always find Yiannis trying to round up a game of basketball or playing board games after community dinners. Katerina loves to take walks through the fields of flowers, and Marcos loves spending time in the greenhouse with the plants.
Role: Building and fixing.
Stay: September 2024 — present
Favorite activity on the farm: Cob building.
Why did you come here? To provide my son the opportunity to explore the world freely, outside of miserable cities and buildings.
Favorite quote: “Δεν υπάρχει δεν μπορώ, μόνο δεν θέλω υπάρχει”
Meet Pálma
Coming from a Waldorf (Rudolf Steiner) background, Pálma was always interested in nature and community. After graduating school she left her home country, Hungary, to live in a permaculture project on the Canary Islands. Before joining Dio Pigadia, Pálma worked as an event manager. Coming to the farm first as a volunteer, Pálma quickly went from wanting to learn more about the olive harvest to being an irreplaceable part of the permanent team. On the farm she likes to try all sorts of different activities and there is no task or tool she is not willing to try. In her spare time she likes to read books and cuddle with the dogs. If you hear someone laughing from a distance, it is probably her!
Role: Managing bookings, ESC coordinator and agriculture enthusiast
Stay: September 2024 — present
Favorite activity on the farm: Driving the tractor.
Why did you come here? It was a happy accident.
Meet Ketie
Before coming to Dio Pigadia, Ketie studied agriculture and animal sciences in Athens, where she also had grown up. While working in more conventional jobs like bartending and as a seamstress, she frequently visited her friend and current Pigadian, Argyro. Spending more and more time here, she realized that this was the perfect opportunity to begin again, making her life more fulfilling and escaping city life in Athens, which she had always known that she wanted leave behind. Ketie is really interested in personal autonomy from consumerism. She likes to make everything with her own hands whenever possible, from sewing her own clothes to upcycling treasures from the trash into handmade furniture. When she’s not working, Ketie loves taking scenic drives to the beach and admiring the natural beauty of the Peloponnese as the seasons change.
Role: Creative & DIY projects
Stay: November 2024 — present
Favorite activity on the farm: DIY projects and gardening.
Why did you come here? I was tired of Athens crazy nonsense lifestyle.
Decision making
Dio Pigadia is a self-organized and co-creative project! This means that all the decisions are made through assemblies in which all involved persons who will be affected by the decision take part. Find out more about how we work here.
Get to know the amazing individuals and their stories who volunteered throughout Greece.
Read the story of Didi and Nini being at Yamochori.
Read the story of James and his stay at the Greek Orthodox Monastery.
Read the story of Camille’s stay at Kathy’s Island Retreat.
Read the story of Manos staying at a permaculture farm in Vrisi.
Read the story of Sarah and Anders being at Candili Natural organic farm.
