In a corner of the century-old café To Hani tou Gogou in Ano Palaiokarya, about 34 km from Trikala, we stopped to warm up by the woodstove. The snow was falling heavily. Soon, the “holy trinity” of Trikala cuisine appeared on our table: feta cheese, pork sausage with leek, and tsipouro. All three are historically linked to the daily habits of the locals, as most households either have them at hand or produce them themselves. These products are a reflection of local heritage and, for two out of three of them, of mountain livestock farming in particular, a vanishing livelihood. At the same time, they all play a crucial role in a complex economic chain that involves farmers, livestock breeders, shepherds and others, including drivers and employees in production units, slaughterhouses, vineyards and state agencies.

According to the Chamber of Commerce of Trikala, the region is home to 11 sausage production enterprises, three tsipouro distilleries and 26 dairy companies, 15 of which produce feta cheese. Before the devastating weather event known as Storm Daniel, the region was (according to data from ELSTAT, the Hellenic Statistical Authority) home to 201,000 sheep, 72,000 goats, and 7,000 breeding sows. Today, as ambassadors of the local cuisine, the region’s feta, sausage and tsipouro still carry the name of Trikala to all points of the globe. Feta is exported to more than 50 countries worldwide, from Australia and the Middle East to the Americas. Traditional sausage with leek (for which a Protected Geographical Indication, or PGI, designation has been applied) is popular among visitors, who leave the city with bags full of it, and among commercial buyers as well. The same goes for tsipouro, although traditional tsipouradika (tsipouro bars serving food as well) are gradually disappearing from the local landscape.

The Battle for Milk

Regardless of the scale of a dairy business, all producers vie for the best milk available – because feta cheese cannot be made without milk – and endeavor to sign contracts with both livestock farms and individuals herders.

One such herder is 59-year-old Dimitris Kanavouris from the Vlach village of Kalomoira in the northern part of the region. Kanavouris spends the winter with his flock in the village and in the summer moves them up to the Chioli peak in southern Pindos, at an altitude of about 1,900 meters. Every year, his flock produces about 25 tons of sheep’s milk; for the last forty years, that milk has gone to the Avgeris dairy. 

We met Kanavouris and his wife Neri at 7:00 a.m. at their sheepfold, just before they began hand-milking the sheep. Despite complaining that he can no longer straighten his fingers fully from all the milking, he is saddened by the fact that next year they will have to part with their flock. Their eldest daughter will be attending high school, and since their area lacks such an educational facility, they will have to move to Trikala. And so, a family connection to dairy production that began with his grandfather – who worked in a cheese factory in Romania –will come finally to an end.

Feta, the Queen

Master cheesemakers such as Kanavouris’ grandfather are rare in today’s dairy industry, as most production has been industrialized. The Avgeris brothers, who opened their cheese factory in Megarchi in 1989, are a rare exception. Nikos, 74, and his younger brother, Dimitris, originally from the village of Aghia Paraskevi Aspropotamos (also known as Tzourtzia), insist on making feta by hand, drawing on their 50 years of experience.

“In the past,” Nikos told us as his brother worked on the barrels, “milk had 9% fat, while today the best quality doesn’t even reach 7%.” Known primarily for their barrel-aged feta, the duo produce about 40 tons annually, mainly for the Thessalian market. Unfortunately, there is no successor to continue their legacy.

For a product to be successful as an export, it must maintain consistent taste characteristics, and this often means that it must be standardized. The company Omiros, founded in 1984 by the Giannitsi family, has fully automated and modernized its production processes. It employs 300 people, collaborates with 2,500 livestock breeders across Greece, and produces over 11,000 tons of feta, for an annual turnover of €90 million.

“Our company is exclusively export-oriented, selling to 46 different countries. Depending on the market, we adjust our product based on research findings. For example, to the Arab Gulf countries, we export a saltier and firmer feta than what we supply to Europe,” explained Christos Giannitsis, the company’s CEO.

Tsipouro, the Water of Trikala

Near the Omiros facilities in the village of Raxa lies the largest tsipouro production unit in Greece, the Tsililis distillery. It was here that Thessaly’s first distillery was founded in 1989; the first bottled tsipouro hit the market a year later.

“A royal decree had granted the right to produce bulk tsipouro exclusively to vineyard owners, and bottling was forbidden. The decree was abolished in 1988, and that’s when I decided to turn my hobby into a profession,” said the company’s CEO, Konstantinos Tsililis.

As Tsililis recalls, the early years were tough because people were accustomed to bulk tsipouro. “The bottled version lacked the charm of homemade tsipouro, but over time, consumers appreciated its advantages and distinct flavors. We introduced tsipouro to urban centers,” he told us, before showing us a bottle of Dark Cave, a tsipouro aged five years that was launched on the market last year.

Today, the company, which also produces wines under the Ktima Theopetra label, employs 60 workers, manages 250 acres of privately owned vineyards, and processes seven million kilograms of grapes, mainly sourced from the Tyrnavos viticultural zone. Tsipouro production, about 5% of which is exported, is set to relocate to the company’s new distillery in Damasi.

“Tsipouro still has a long way to go before it is fully established in international markets. We are constantly refining our spirits using new methods. This year, we started removing a greater proportion of grape seeds during distillation,” Tsililis said.

Sausage, the Iconic Meze

This new generation of tsipouro makers, raised among the stills, has always paired tsipouro primarily with meat-based appetizers rather than seafood. And the king of appetizers in Trikala – despite an abundance excellent lamb-based products – is the traditional leek sausage.

The leading producer, Chirofarm Maravas – Koutsikou Farma, operates six pig farms with 1,000 breeding sows, 2,200 acres for fodder production, a slaughterhouse, a biogas production unit, and two meat and cold cuts processing plants.

“We produce about 340 tons of sausage annually, 60% of which is sold in supermarkets and 40% in local butcher shops. We source our leeks from local farmers,” said Chrysa Marava, who, along with her brother Stefanos and her husband Giannis Koutsikos, is carrying on the family’s pig-farming tradition.

At present, the little that they export goes primarily to Germany, but the goal is to expand further. The long-awaited PGI certification for Trikala sausage could certainly help with this effort.

For the region in general, achieving PGI certification for their sausage is one challenge. Another, of vital importance, is preserving mountain livestock farming – because without it, feta’s PDO status will be at risk. The third challenge is boosting tsipouro exports to encourage more vineyard cultivation. Strengthening these primary sectors is a reliable way to sustain rural life, and while Trikala stands as an excellent example of regional development, it is today at a crossroads that might well determine whether that success will continue.