The distant 1925 and at an altitude of 1600 meters begins the family tradition in cheese products. In Samarina, Grevena, one of the highest villages in the Balkans, Asterios Gravanis gathers the milk of local producers. Manouri and kefalotiri are the first products produced, as they cover the difficult maintenance needs and pre-war eating habits.
OUR HISTORY
1925
1939
The clouds of World War II reach our country. The inhabitants of mountain villages living near the Greek-Albanian border cannot be unaffected and contribute to the national struggle.
1952
After the end of the German occupation, in 1952, Asterios Gravanis and his oldest son George resumed the production of dairy in the mountains of Samarina. Their products reach the famous market of Modianos in Thessaloniki! The hard winter and the difficulty of survival leads the family to reside during the winter months in the area of Larissa, where the production in the countryside continues with local producers.
1966
The Children of Asterios Gravanis settle permanently in Larissa, building one of the first elevated cheese factories of the time in Makrihori Larissa. This project gives new dynamic in our company, and considered as a prototype model of cheese factory.
1980
In the 1980s the company entered the market of traditionally drained yogurt.
2018
Since 2018, the company is housed in its new privately owned state-of-the-art facilities in Makrihori, Larissa, over 2000 sq.m, where tradition meets technology with look to the future!
Our vision
Our goal is to produce dairy products of unparalleled quality with respect to nature and dedication to tradition.
For this reason we use exclusively Greek milk supporting the Greek producer and contributing to the maintenance of a high quality of pure Greek products.
The values that guide our business
and the key decision-makers can be categorised as follows
Consumer
The whole production operation aims to produce products under strict rules of quality and safety, but never to lose the authenticity of traditional production methods. So we ensure that people who trust us enjoy today's dairy products with the taste of the past.
Human resources
As a family business, for years we have been trying to build honest and deep relationships of trust and respect with our employees.
Environment
” … We have not inherited the land from our fathers, we have borrowed it from our children …” by Dennis J. Hall. This phrase best describes the relationship of respect with nature, which we maintain as we seek the minimum burden on the environment as a result of our activity.
Partners
Our unit processes 100% Greek milk for the production of its products, actively supporting the Greek producer who is part of the Greek heritage.
Quality Certification
Samarina has adopted principles and methodology of international quality standards to ensure that our products are consistently produced and controlled according to quality standards.
The HACCP quality system maintained by the company is constantly upgraded in order to adapt to the latest needs.
Facilities
The headquarters of the company is located in Makrihori Larissa. The state-of-the-art facilities completed in 2018 replace the older ones which have housed the company since 1966.
In this new area, over 2000 sq, there are multiple production lines and storage areas to ensure that all safety rules are complied with.