Greek dairy exports are expected to reach 1.2 billion euros this year, as foreign demand for feta, greek yogurt and other dairy products pushes the country’s biggest producers to invest in new production capacity.
Cheese exports were worth 589 million euros in the first half of 2026, up from 538.4 million euros a year earlier, according to figures from the Panhellenic Exporters Association, an increase of roughly 9%. Yogurt has been a particularly strong performer, with the Netherlands being the third largest buyer of Greek yogurt.
Kri Kri says capacity, not demand, is the limit
Kri Kri is the latest producer to step up spending after reporting sharp gains in sales and profit in the first half of 2026, led by yogurt. The company’s yogurt exports rose 46.8% in the period, with sales up 67% in Britain and 31% in Italy.
The company is in no rush to enter new markets. “Our main constraint today is not demand but available production capacity,” Chief Financial Officer Konstantinos Sarmadakis said.
Kri Kri is already preparing an investment program to expand its production lines. Sarmadakis said the spending would be rolled out gradually, in step with demand, to make production more flexible. The company plans capital expenditure of about 127 million euros from 2026 through 2030, or between 23 million and 28 million euros a year.
FAGE plans a new plant in the Netherlands
FAGE International’s European sales were driven by Britain, where sales rose 49.2% and volume 43.7%, and by Italy, where sales climbed 26.3% and volume 16.6%.
The company is planning a new factory at the Riegmeer business park in Hoogeveen, in the Netherlands, which is expected to begin operating at the end of 2030. The plant will add 40,000 metric tons of yogurt a year and is designed to supply European markets outside of Greece directly. FAGE International puts the total investment at about $170 million.
Amfigal targets Germany, Britain, Italy and the US
Amfigal, based in Kechrinia near the town of Amfilochia in western Greece, also wants to capitalize on the export momentum. Nearly 60% of its sales already come from abroad, in markets including Germany, Britain, Italy and the United States, and the company aims to strengthen its foothold there.
The company was founded by the Union of Agrinio agricultural cooperative and runs a modern plant on a 20,000 square meter (about 5 acre) site in Kechrinia. The facility has an annual capacity of 6,000 metric tons of sheep’s milk and 1,000 metric tons of goat’s milk, and it can process 100 metric tons of sheep and goat milk a day into feta, sold in containers, and hard cheeses.
Evrofarma bets on strained yogurt and kefir
Evrofarma is also leaning on foreign sales after reporting higher revenue and a significant rise in profitability in the first half of 2026. Exports reached 7.63 million euros, about 30.2% of the group’s turnover.
Management said growing exports and yogurt products remain central to the company’s strategy. For the rest of 2026, the group plans to expand exports of strained yogurt, kefir and ariani, a traditional Greek cultured milk drink similar to buttermilk, and to pursue new commercial partnerships.
Source: OT.gr
