With a lavish celebration, worthy of a special investment, Hellenic Dairies S.A. inaugurated the Group’s new, state-of-the-art plant for the production of halloumi, the fine cheese that has been a key component of the Cypriot diet for centuries.

The event, with local and international guests, took place at the site of the factory, situated in the industrial area of Tseri, Nicosia. In her welcome address to guests, Vice President of the Board of Directors of Hellenic Dairy, Zoe Sarantis elaborated on the specifications of the investment, while the opening of the new plant was hailed by Cypriot Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Maria Panayiotou, in turn.

On the part of the Greek government, in attendance was Minister of Digital Governance Dimitris Papastergiou, Deputy Minister of Rural Development and Food Christos Kellas, and MP, and former Minister of Development Kostas Skrekas.

The new plant, which includes buildings totalling 12,000 sq.m, represents an investment of €70 million. It is a production facility producing Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) halloumi and anari cheeses, with a capacity of 18,000 tonnes of halloumi per year – equivalent to 40 per cent of the total annual production of halloumi in Cyprus.

The plant was designed to be particularly environmentally friendly, applying a range of green systems toward utilising its production resources.

It has an anaerobic wastewater treatment plant where the organic load is decomposed and biogas is produced, which thereafter is used as a fuel to meet a portion of its thermal needs. Part of its electricity needs, meanwhile, are met by 3.2 MW photovoltaic panels. Additionally, Hellenic Dairies S.A., sensitive to the island’s constraints on water, has designed a recovery unit for the factory’s treated wastewater, in order to channel it toward secondary uses.