Epirus

We are deeply honored that our products, which are produced with passion, dedication and the strictest quality & safety standards in our factories in Arta, Elassona and Domokos (Greece), have been recognized for their exceptional taste in a prestigious international competition, such as the Mediterranean Taste Awards.

Can you share a bit of your company’s background?

In the early 90s, a group of entrepreneurs founded EPIRUS in collaboration with local cheesemakers from Arta. Their vision was to combine the art of local cheesemaking and traditional recipes with technology to produce feta PDO and other traditional cheese products, ensuring their exceptional taste and superior quality. 

In 1997, all 100% of the shares of Epirus were acquired by Optima SA, a Greek family business with a long history in cheese products. Since then, EPIRUS has been operating and evolving based on a dynamic investment plan, that includes expanding equipment, implementing innovative processes, and strengthening of human resources.

Epirus SA is one of the largest cheese-producing companies in Greece, with 3 state-of-the-art production and packaging facilities in Arta, Elassona and Domokos.

*All Epiros products are exclusively represented in the Greek market by OPTIMA SA.

What are your goals for the future of your company? How do you plan to continue pushing boundaries in food and beverage industry while staying true to your roots?

Based on our knowledge, experience, and, of course, our love for cheese, we aim to bring tasty products of high quality and nutritional value to the consumer’s table. We continue with even more passion and dynamism, combining an innovative spirit with in-depth knowledge of tradition and technology, aiming to reach even more consumers and bring the taste of Greece to the world.

Do you have any upcoming products or innovations that you are particularly excited about?

We are constantly monitoring trends all over the world and we invest heavily in R&D, to enrich our portfolio with new, sustainable cheese products that not only meet the nutritional needs of modern, international consumers, but also respect traditional cheese-making methods and the environment.  We remain one step ahead of the market with innovative products and revolutionary packaging.

One of our recent product launches is Epiros Spread cheese, a traditional Greek spread cheese made with EPIROS Feta PDO Cheese – when tradition meets taste and consumer trends.

What makes your product different? Why should consumers choose your brand?

We all here at EPIRUS work together to produce the finest PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) cheeses and other traditional Greek cheeses from sheep, goat and cow milk with fantastic flavor profiles! EPIROS products are based on traditional recipes and embody all the taste, experience, knowledge, heritage, and uniqueness of EPIRUS.

How much has technology helped you?

We constantly leverage new technologies and state-of-the-art equipment to enhance productivity, safety and speed on the production line, aiming to produce the best products in the market with the minimum impact on the environment.

Does your product(s) have sustainable and environmentally friendly characteristics?

EPIRUS SA, true to its commitment to reducing its environmental footprint and becoming a CO2-neutral company, has implemented a comprehensive sustainability strategy, that follows circular economy’s principles, in every aspect of its operational activity:

Since 2021, the three factories of EPIRUS in Arta, Domokos and Elassona, which are involved in the production, packaging and repackaging of cheese and dairy products, were certified by the European Control & Certification Company “EUROCERT” with the Zero Waste to Landfill Standard (ZWTL-EU1). All three factories constantly receive the highest “Platinum” rating, as less than 1% of the waste they produce ends up in landfills, while over 99% is recycled, reused, and directed towards the production of biogas or compost.

Also, EPIRUS SA took another step towards achieving its sustainable development goals, by saving a significant amount of drinking water at its factory in Elassona. The drinking water normally used to dissolve the solid polyelectrolyte in the plant’s biological wastewater treatment system, was replaced with treated water from the biological cleaning unit outlet, achieving exactly the same results. On an annual basis, the drinking water savings are expected to reach 3,000m3.

It is worth noting that EPIRUS’s factory in Domokos, was designed with the aim of reducing the energy and natural resources use, such as water, through circular use. It is the first cheese-production unit in Greece that has succeeded in using 100% of the liquid waste that comes from the biological cleaning unit, to irrigate an area of 5.000 sq.m., through an underground irrigation system.

In addition, at the EPIRUS factory in Domokos, 200 Paulownia trees, a species that was chosen after thorough study, have been planted for its high carbon dioxide sequestration index, in an area of 5.000 sq.m. Specifically, over the course of a decade (with an average life expectance of the trees to be around 7-10 years), the sequestration of carbon dioxide by trees is estimated to be around 55 tons. The implementation of the second phase of the tree planting of an additional three acres is underway, with the aim of covering additional needs created by the increase in the production capacity of the unit.

Apart from their ability to sequester CO², Paulownia trees are abundant in flowers, in a way that contributes significantly to beekeeping, while the wood is considered to be of excellent quality and hard to find.

The plant has also undergone a radical waste reduction process, with the waste being now used for the production of green energy, through cooperation with biogas production companies, instead of polluting landfill sites.

Epirus proceeded to the replacement of the packaging of feta PDO and white cheeses in brine from 180g up to 400g, reducing the use of plastic by 15%.  At the same time, the new environmentally friendly packaging of feta and white cheeses in brine 400g have a new optimized shape, which ensures the reduction of discarded brine by 34% and atmospheric pollutants by 3.6%, compared to the previous packaging of the products. 

These investments are just a small step towards the direction of achieving a zero carbon footprint. We certainly have a lot more to do, not only as a company but also as an industry in general. But at the same time we are very proud for being able to combine innovative and smart practices that contribute to confronting environmental challenges.

To what degree has climate change affected your production and business development?

Climate change has impacted our everyday lives and the operations of companies across all sectors, including ours. In response, we have adapted our production and packaging methods to achieve minimum waste, we have implemented circular economy principles in every aspect of our operational activities, and we always prioritise environmental impact and animal welfare when developing new products. Sustainable development is our goal for the years to come!

Epirus SA received two (2) Platinum Awards two (2) Gold Awards and two (2) Silver Awards at the 2024 Mediterranean Taste Awards