Arvanitis Cheese Factory

The Arvanitis cheese factory, based in Neochorouda, just outside Thessaloniki, Greece, first operated in 1980 and today is rightly considered among the most competitive companies in the industry.

His journey is full of success in Greece and abroad and the quality of his cheeses has been recognized in many national and international competitions, including the World Cheese Championship where he won the Gold Award which is awarded for the first time to a Greek company.

The range of products of Arvanitis Cheese Factory, exceeding 15, except feta PDO which is the champion, includes "forgotten" traditional flavors of our country - re-released standard in very attractive packaging - and are available along with other products either in retail chains or in selected delicatessen stores, such as cow's cheese, cream cheese, local , Gais and Plexouda cheeses (Pontian cheeses characteristic for their very intense fibers and their special taste), Halkidiki goat cheese, PDO cheese, kefalotyri cow wheel, kefalotyri Proveio, manouri PDO, mizithra, mountain semi-hard, saganaki, smoked cheese from Thessaloniki, sulugouni, fresh baggy cheese and traditional baggy goat cheese.

A significant part of the company's production is directed mainly to Europe and specifically to Italy, Sweden, Germany and England with the next target being Australia, the USA and Canada. The company in the eight very difficult years of the crisis, managed to more than double its turnover, to reach close to 10 million euros and to eight times its exports that reached from 10% to 30% of its sales

We met him Michalis Arvanitis - the son of Manolis Arvanitis who took over the management of the company in 2009 - in their unit, a pioneering company based in the area of ​​Neochorouda in Macedonia, a few kilometers outside Thessaloniki. First impression besides the modern facilities, the dozens of awards that are hung on the walls of the offices:

"Our awards are the reward of our philosophy for the quality of our cheese products. Fresh milk in cheese making gives high quality characteristics to the cheeses we produce. Every day, four tanks of our company visit the approximately 350 milk producers we work with, so that the milk is fresh. This is the basis for the taste of our cheeses, which is why the use of local milk in the production of our cheeses is our non-negotiable choice. "On our company website, in addition to the standard information, there is a page with our producers, where the breeders we work with are presented, so that our partners and customers can get to know them."

It is worth noting that the Arvanitis cheese factory, in collaboration with the company North Atlantic Sustainability SA, utilizes whey residues to generate electricity, thus promoting the use of alternative, clean energy sources. On a daily basis, about 40 tons of whey residues are loaded and transported to the recycling plant, and the remaining liquid residue (70%) is then used as fertilizer.