Panayialios Union of Cooperatives

Η Panayialios Union of Cooperatives (PES) is the largest exporter currant type "Vostitsa". Founded in 1935 on Aigio of Achaia, when the Association of Raisin Cooperatives (1918) - pioneer of the agricultural cooperative idea and activity in Greece - and the Vostitsis Raisin Bank (1923), with the main purpose of collecting and marketing raisins of its member producers.

The 1948 The first raisin factory is established in Aegio beach and begins processing and exporting for Corinthian Raisin "Vostitsa" in Europe as well as the citrus and olive oil of the region.

The 1983 the P.E.S. makes the first effort in Greece and successfully begins the cultivation, packaging and export of Organic Corinthian Raisins.

The 1990 The new modern raisin factory is established in the new privately owned facilities of the Union in which, to this day, the processing and export to the international market of the famous Corinthian Raisin "Vostitsa" continues.

Following the actions of P.E.S., the Corinthian Raisin “Vostitsa” was recognized in 1998 as a product Protected Designation of Origin (PDO).

The first impression one makes when visiting the state-of-the-art facilities of the Union is the order and the organization. Visitors as well as employees take a thousand and two precautions - for raisins of course - before entering the production area. The products are exported to England and the high standards of technology, safety and hygiene ensure their excellent quality.

The president of the company Thanasis Sotiropoulos informs us about:

"In 1980, Greece produced 70.000 tons of black currants. Today, when production is limited to 25.000 tons, the Panagialeios Union of Cooperatives manages 60% of the raisins of the wider Peloponnese and the most impressive is that 95% of the production goes abroad. Since 1980, the Cooperative has been the exclusive supplier of the Mark & ​​Spencer chain of stores. The only competitor of the Corinthian raisin is the sultana raisin, which accounts for 70% of world production, gaining a significant market share as it becomes cheaper. In Greece (Crete) around 10.000 tons of sultanas are produced, while in Turkey 300.000 tons per year ".

The modern production facilities (with the most modern machines of the food industry, such as laser sorting machines, x-rays, metal detectors, etc.) in the modern privately owned building complex that includes raisin, olive oil and citrus processing plants, meet the strictest specifications of food factories and meet the most demanding standards of the largest foreign industries.

About 200 specialized people are employed daily in the industrial activities of PES, while the Department of Research and Development aims to ensure the quality of products produced and to research new methods for the production of new products. At the same time, studies are being carried out to highlight the nutritional and nutritional characteristics of the once "black gold" of Greece.

Leaving, you feel that the Panayialios Union of Cooperatives is one of the few companies that worthily represent our country abroad and that save the honor of the country's Cooperatives.