Greek export success: overview
- Greek food exports have more than doubled from €4.5bn in 2014 to over €10bn, with further growth forecast in 2026
- Producers have shifted focus to exports, investing in quality, branding, sustainability and international partnerships
- Demand for Mediterranean diets is boosting sales of Greek yoghurt, feta, olive oil, olives and wine worldwide
- PDO and PGI certifications are helping Greek products command premium positioning in competitive markets
- Future growth is expected to come from stronger global brands and expanding demand in North America, the Middle East and Asia
First conceived as a small ice-cream shop in 1954, supplying the northern city of Serres, Greek dairy supplier Kri Kri has scaled into a poster child for booming agri-exports in the European country.
Exports accounted for less than a fifth of Kri Kri’s sales in 2015. In 2025, they’d reached 62%, and in H1 2026 represented 75% of total yogurt sales (+46.6% year-on-year) as the family-run firm forged successive private and branded partnerships abroad, including deals with major retailers like Waitrose.
This booming international presence helped drive sales of €203.9m in H1 2026 (+25.9% year-on-year) while net profit jumped 87.6% to €36.5m.
The Serres-based supplier is only one of several success stories now emerging from Greece, in no small part thanks to its dramatic uptick in exports over the last decade.
According to government agency Enterprise Greece, Greek food exports have doubled from €4.5bn in 2014 to more than €10bn in recent years.
Fuelled by changing perceptions around the quality and healthiness of Greek produce, as well as a change in strategic outlook from the country’s increasingly diverse supplier base, the country is on track for another record-setting year too, with a forecast 10% further growth in 2026.
A strategic pivot
A pivot toward exports began to gain momentum following Greece’s economic crisis in late 2009, explains Marinos Giannopoulos, CEO at Enterprise Greece. With domestic growth constrained, Greek producers increasingly looked toward international markets to unlock growth, building up their international presence by participating in “huge numbers” at international trade expos, and making “significant investment in processing, packaging and quality certification”.
In parallel, demand for Mediterranean-style produce was on the rise. “Global consumers have become more interested in healthy eating, authentic origin products and the Mediterranean lifestyle,” he says. “Greek food naturally fits these trends. Products such as olive oil, feta cheese, olives, and fresh fruit have a strong reputation for quality, authenticity, and nutritional value.”
Greek yogurt is a standout example, with the classic strained recipe embraced by health-conscious consumers as a natural protein source, amid a broader pushback against highly processed alternatives. The global market is expected to double over the next decade as a result, from $38.3bn in 2025 to $78.7bn in 2034, say Fortune Business Insights, with Greece’s leading suppliers Kri Kri and Fage International among the major beneficiaries.
To capitalise on this international demand, Greek suppliers have invested in improved production methods, stronger branding and a growing emphasis on sustainability, says Giannopoulos. In September, frozen veg, ready meals and salads manufacturer Barba Stathis began construction on its new multi-million-euro facility in Thessaly, for example, as new owner IDEAL Holdings looks to scale the brand’s international footprint and multinational supply agreements.
“The sector has also benefited from EU quality schemes such as Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) certifications, which help Greek products differentiate themselves in highly competitive markets,” adds Giannopoulos. There are now plans to expand upon these certifications further. Speaking at a ministry event in Thessaloniki in September, Margaritis Schoinas, Greece’s Minister of Rural Development and Food, confirmed Greece already has 283 active PDO and PGI products, and said, “I will close with the promise that we will have many more.”
“The growing success of Greek food exports has also brought a new wave of investment into the agri-food sector,” says Giannopoulos. “Over the last several years, several of Greece’s major food producers have invested heavily in expanding export production, while major foreign investors have also entered the sector through acquisitions. Likewise, we are witnessing a consolidation in the industry with a series of domestic mergers and acquisitions aimed at further boosting exports in the future.
Examples include the $2bn acquisition of snack manufacturer Chipita by Mondelēz in 2022; the “serial purchases” of Greek food companies by CVC Capital Partners fund, “and the restructuring and reorganisation of Greece’s world leading aquaculture sector, among others.”
“Greek cuisine had been badly represented by the likes of moussaka, souvlaki and gyros. But there’s now a new generation of chefs, a younger generation, that are cooking a lot more with Greek ingredients, which has catapulted the need.”
Yannos Hadjiioannou, co-founder of Maltby & Greek
Emerging and established opportunities
The bulk of export growth is stemming from established European markets, already familiar with Greek produce and Mediterranean food culture, with the EU accounting for roughly two-thirds of all Greek’s agri-food exports, say Enterprise Greece. Among these Germany, Italy, Cyprus, France, the Netherlands, the Balkans and the UK dominate.
Specialist importer and supplier Maltby & Greek says it has seen firsthand a change in attitudes toward and demand for Greek produce in European countries like the UK, spearheaded by hospitality and a growth in tourism. “Over the last 12 years, there is definitely more interest,” says co-founder Yannos Hadjiioannou. “Greek cuisine had been badly represented by the likes of moussaka, souvlaki and gyros. But there’s now a new generation of chefs, a younger generation, that are cooking a lot more with Greek ingredients, which has catapulted the need.”
Greece is also becoming known for offering more value on staples like olive oil, he adds, with high quality but competitive pricing compared to, say, Italy.
It isn’t only Europe offering opportunities though. “Some of the most dynamic growth is coming from markets outside Europe,” insists Giannopoulos. “In North America, consumers are increasingly embracing the Mediterranean diet and seeking natural, high-quality products.” For example, according to a study by the Greek Parliament’s Budget Office, spanning 25 years from 2000 to 2024, the average export value of Greek table olives and olive oil to the US stood at €100m and €30m a year, respectively. In 2024 alone, exports of Greek table olives to the US were worth €212.2m, while olive oil brought a total of €76.3m into the country.
In the Middle East too, particularly in Gulf countries, “rising incomes and a preference for premium imported foods are creating attractive opportunities for Greek exporters,” he adds.
From feta to fish
Of the core categories driving much of the current and forecast growth in Greek food exports, an increasing proportion are hedging their bets on regional, specialist or value-add products, rather than commoditised ingredients.
Greek olive oil, for example, has quietly shifted from a largely anonymised or unbranded product to a more premium global contender recognised for its quality, thanks to upgraded production practises and improved marketing, including a push for single-estate branding as a way to convey authenticity.
According to the Association of Greek Industries and Packers of Olive Oil (SEVITEL), olive oil now accounts for roughly 9% of total agricultural production value in Greece as a result, representing a fifth of the value of food exports.
Following several years spent growing its presence, Greece also ranked as the fifth-largest exporter of olive oil to the US during the 2024/25 season, according to the International Olive Council (IOC), shipping 13,591 tonnes and capturing roughly 3% of the market. That represented a 40% year-on-year growth, said the IOC.
Greek dairy exports too, which are expected to generate around €2bn in 2026, according to agri-food insights firm Tridge, have benefited from the credibility of PDO certifications. In cheese, for example, growth has been led by feta, which increased exports by 9.3% in the first half of 2026 to €589m.
Yogurt exports meanwhile surged 37.9% to €362m in the same period, reaching 157,100 tonnes, off the back of traditional Greek yogurts being given a contemporary makeover by producers. The everyday staple has now been repositioned as a premium product, catering to global demand for clean high-protein products. Specialist hospitality chains, such as Go Greek Yoghurt, are even expanding their international footprint as a result.
In wine too, the narrative is one of shifting perceptions.
From 2019 to 2025, the export value of Greek wine grew 21.3%, according to data from The Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) with the US, Cyprus, Canada, the UK and France driving much of that. And it is value rather than volume that has driven growth, explains Sofia Perpera, of the Greek Wine Federation. “We are very small. The average Greek vineyard is 0.5 hectares and we import everything from bottles to paper for the labels. That means we can’t be very competitive in the low end of the market, but we’re very competitive in the middle and upper categories.”
The strategy has therefore been to change perceptions around the quality of Greek wines in recent years, with promotional campaigns to showcase the country’s top producers and winemaking regions, particularly the use of indigenous grape varieties, of which there are now more than 90. Production growth has followed. By some estimates, the number of Greek wineries has increased fourfold to more than 2,000 over the last twenty years.
‘Significant potential’
For Giannopoulos, the future for Greek agri-food exports is bright.
“There is significant potential for further growth in premium foods, organic products and value-added Mediterranean specialties,” he believes. “Emerging markets in Asia and the Middle East also offer attractive opportunities, particularly as awareness of Greek cuisine continues to expand.
“Perhaps the greatest opportunity lies in building stronger international brands. Greece already has an excellent reputation for food quality; converting that reputation into greater recognition of individual Greek brands could unlock the next phase of export growth.”
