N. Nakas & Sons Co
Cheese industry tradition since 1966
About Us
The company N. Nakas & SONS began its operation 60 years ago as a small plant of hard cheese production. Today Nakas products constitute a seal and guarantee of the quality of cheese products of Amfilochia.
Nakas cheese industry produces Greek traditional cheeses from the famous area of Amfilochia Greece. The cheeses we produce are: Graviera, Kefalograviera PDO, pecorino, kefalotyri, table dry Mizithra, and Anthotyro.
Our facilities are equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, and all of our personnel is well trained and specialized. We have all the necessary certifications such as ISO 22:000 as well as the agrocert certification for Kefalograviera.
The Kefalograviera of Amfilochia, which now has a protected designation of origin (P.D.O.), was created and became known in the decade of 1980. Nikos Nakas and local breeders contributed significantly to this.
Our history
The past
It all began in the decade of 1950, when in Greece there was an increased demand in the cheese market. It was then that Nikos Nakas, a traditional saddle’s manufacturer of the decade of 40’s, decided to deal with the traditional cheese industry by opening his own dairy company. The close contact that he had acquired with the farmers of the time in the mountainous villages of Arta in Epirus Greece, allowed him to learn and develop the traditional way of producing cheese, which in Greece had begun to develop in the beginning of last Century thanks to the founder of the cheese dairy industry in Greece Nicholas Zygouris.
In the decade of 1950 in the villages of Arta there was no electricity and they did not use refrigerators, so the preservation of the cheeses was done in the most traditional way: using Salt! They used warehouses to sustain the cheese, as a result, the cheeses were salted. Nikos Nakas at that time was renting a car once a month, collecting the matured cheeses, he was then selling them to the urban centers of the area. A few years later, in the decade of 1960, he decided to build a cheese factory, where he would gather all the production. He Chose the area of Amfilochia for that. Nikos Nakas bought land there and opened one of the first cheese factories in the area, an area that had not yet been known to the general public for its dairy products.
He worked hard, and with help of local cheese-makers in decade of 1980 managed to produce a good hard cheese, the graviera of Amfilochia, which slowly became famous in the market.
Modern times
Today the new generation of Nakas family continues the tradition that began 60 years ago, and while the technology has changed, the recipe remains the same: respect for tradition and nature that blessed this place.
In cooperation with 300 and more families of stockbreeders in the area of Ampfilochia Greece, we continue to manufacture traditional cheeses of superior quality. The area is famous for its livestock products and is considered to produce some of the best quality milk in Greece. The climate in combination with the sea air, as the area is close to the Ionian Sea, and the flora of the area contributed so that the Graviera and the other cheeses of Amfilochia to distinguish from the rest of the market. The vegetation is low and the place has no running water. For this reason, the plants have developed as a natural defence, the retention of water and elements. The sheep of the area, that live freely in the wild, are consuming that food, as a result, they are offering tasty and nutritious pure milk which is the most important ingredient for our cheeses.
These factors combined with the modernization of our traditional cheese factory, which now has new modern facilities and all the necessary certifications, give us the opportunity to offer widely in the Greek and international market the traditional cheeses of Amfilochia.
It is certain that this tradition will continue as you keep trusting us.
Our Facilities
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Tradition
The tradition for us is a rule. With passion, love, and respect for our heritage, we continue to produce with the same philosophy pure dairy products from 1966.
Quality
We do not make compromises on the quality of milk and igredients. We use the freshest and purest ingredients, which make the taste of the dairy products of Nakas industry unparalleled. Our products are certified with ISO 22:000 and gfsi as Well As with the agrocert certification for Kefalograviera, of Amfilochia Nakas.
TRUST
Thanks to your trust we managed to successfully bring to the market our dairy products. Our values do not change, we continue to grow without betraying your trust. Thank you,