Happy New Year from Merill Eco Tours!

This will be our last blog article for 2011! Oh what a year!

Merill Eco Tours will soon be a year old and we're so proud of the way it's been growing so far.

It's nice to look back at what we have been up to this year. We started off the venture and the year with the Press Launch which took place on the 12th of January. It was raining cats and dogs before and during the presentation, but still a nice crowd of around 50 attended the launch. Hon. Dr Mario De Marco officially inaugurated Merill Eco Tours as the first licensed ecotourism venture operating in the Maltese Islands.
(Click here to view the clips of the TV coverage; TVM and NET TV.)

Following the launch we immediately started cooperating with various tour operators and local DMCs to fine-tune our eco and agri tours, which are offered both for tourists and locals. The exclusive locations, together with the delicious products enjoyed during the tours, have been an asset to put forward a positive and attractive image of Malta as a rural tourism destination.

Our farmers have been kept very busy producing local products and other delicacies for our guests. Along the year we also branded a range of traditional processed products which were brought direct from the farmers and promoted at a number of different occasions and venues. In September we were also pleased to discover that our honey was featured in an official EU publication, amongst many other food products from all around Europe.

Traditional food products from all EU Countries

Sea Salt mini jars as souvenirs

To raise awareness about the richness of the Maltese rural areas, we are now producing short video clips, which we named '90 eco seconds', capturing the very best scenes and activities in local villages. Our first clip features Mgarr, which is truly an agricultural hub of the Maltese Islands.

We sincerely wish a prosperous new year to all our fans all around the world, especially to our dear Maltese expats who follow us regularly. Our special thanks go to our families and friends as well as all our business partners who have been part of this amazing journey.

Lots of eco wishes from Jeanette and Christian!

It will soon be Christmas!

Hey Merill fans,

hope you're all doing fine! We thought of featuring the red breasted robin as it will soon be Christmas. It is a lovely time to be in the countryside here in Malta. So many winter birds singing and the weather is still nice and warm. Christmas holiday makers are keeping us busy and so are the eco hampers. 

the best seller for Christmas 2011

Though the Maltese people are very price conscious this season, we still had many customers asking for tailor made hampers with their favourite local ingredients. For sweet tooth clients, we included locally made mince pies and treacle tarts, perfect while enjoying a nice cup of tea or coffee. We're proud of these two items in our eco hampers as they are traditionally made with lots of passion and dedication by the staff at Maypole Bakeries. I was personally amazed about the genuineness of these items as they taste just like home made.

This week, I had the opportunity to visit the brand new Maypole Bakery in Tal-Handaq, where dozens of bakers and pastry chefs are busy preparing yummy cakes and pies. Was also pleased to get to know that hundreds of Cassatella tarts are being prepared with local ricotta cheese. The secret ratio between ricotta, sugar, chocolate chips and other ingredients make the Cassatella superb in taste and texture.

Guess I will have to follow a strict diet soon after Christmas, considering all the bountiful items I am obliged to taste on a regular basis...this make me love my job :)

We will keep you posted with more eco news and look forward to have a merry merill Christmas.

"Like" our Facebook fan page or visit our website www.merillecotours.com

Feel free to drop by any comments on info@merillecotours.com - we love to hear from our fans.

90" Eco Seconds - #1 Mġarr: Malta's agricultural hub

What's your view about this first clip we're posting? Would you like to experience these locations?

We took these shots in Mgarr...a truly rich biodiversity hot spot. It is the village with the largest population of full time arable farmers. Many still work their land with the assistance of sons of daughters, and very often their spouses too. Things are not always plain sailing for farmers. They go through many adverse situations including drought periods, marketing challenges and work load. 

The reason why we are shooting these short clips is to raise awareness about the beauty of rural areas in Malta. I speak to many people who find it hard to understand that Malta has a lot of potential in eco and agri-tourism. Meeting real farmers and harvesting/tasting their produce is an experience that many enjoy. The fresh air of the countryside and scenic beauty give visitors a sense of space and relaxation. We are doing our best to include many hidden spots around the islands during our eco tours, surprising our guests with Malta's hidden assets. 

Our "Olive Themed Tour" and the "Malta Vine and Wine Experience" have brought about a new dimension of ecotourism in Malta. These tours are not just eco because we call them so. Real farmers are benefiting from these tours financially. They feel that their land and hard work is being appreciated. Without financial benefits, one cannot expect eco initiatives to last for a long time. We go out of our way to help farmers reach their goals and together create goods and services that make us proud to be Maltese. 

For more information about the principles we practice visit our website www.merillecotours.com 

Local Products Event at The Point Shopping Mall - 20th November 2011

Treacle Tarts - Maypole Bakery

Eco Hampers by Merill Local Products

Yesterday a local products themed event took place at The Point Shopping Complex at Tigne Point. Merill Local Products organised this event and teamed up with other producers of traditional and genuine food products to bring about a pre Christmas atmosphere at Malta's largest shopping mall.

Olive oil, honey and local fruit jams keep on being the most requested items by locals together with DOC wines. Sun dried tomatoes, pickled onions and cheeselets have been nicely put together into attractive Eco-Hampers. As Merill Local Products, we are doing our best to bring the farming community at the centre of our Eco-Hampers. All the products within each hamper comes directly from local famers thus keeping traditions alive and conserving Malta's rural landscape. Furthermore packaging materials are 100% upcycled therefore decreasing the carbon footprint. 

Large tables with fresh crispy bread filled level 0 with a lovely smell. Maypole bakeries offered a range of local products including traditional loaves of bread, treacle tarts and biscuits. Since 1973, Maypole bakeries have been owned and managed by Carmelo Debono who is constantly updating the wide range of products being offered, using modern machinery and latest technology to ensure optimum results. Mr. Debono works very hard together with his wife and six children to produce the very best products, all baked the traditional way.

Nougat Products by Beehive

Weaved Products

Barn eggs and Poultry meat by Tal-Malti Producer Organisation

This time we also decided to partner with a locally recognised producer organisation that is doing an excellent job in producing sustainable poultry products. Tal-Malti is the brand name of "The Malta Poultry Producers Organisation" that encompasses six established farmers rearing egg layer chickens and broilers. The farms enjoy high animal welfare and hygiene standards. Poultry meat products currently sold by the PO include whole chicken and separate poultry pieces all packed, weighed and barcoded to be sold at local butchers and at the Farmers Market in Ta' Qali every Tuesday and Saturday.


Eggs come in a variety of convenient carton sized and are produced by chickens reared in enriched cages and from barn hens. A total of 500,000 broiler chickens are reared every year together with 30,000 laying hens. It's great to have a local Producer Organisation who is continuously developing innovative products ideal for customers that are health conscious and are looking for well priced food items.


Their latest product is the "Kappuccel Tal-Malti", a spring chicken that makes an excellent meal for one or two persons. I've personally tried cooking these spring chickens on a BBQ and in the oven, and in spite my cooking skills are quite poor, I still manage to make great meals out of this little chicken :)

I strongly recommend all the range of poultry products offered by Tal-Malti as they are absolutely fresh and delicious!

To book your eco hampers now - call on 21/27/79411388!