In 1974, Pantelis Panteliadis and his wife Ourania find themselves faced with a critical decision to make concerning their future. Armed with their education – their studies in Vienna and Hamburg – and the knowledge and experience gained working in the food industry in Greece, they decide to found their own company. Their vision and aim is to become one of the country’s big companies in the food sector. Confident as they were they gave the company a confident name: OPTIMA. Thus, from a modest office in the Athens tower, began the story of this successful, Greek family business.

OPTIMA started its operations by importing tinned meat and concentrated milk. In 1979, the company shifted its focus to cheese by launching the ADORO brand. Since then, ADORO has been having a notable presence in multiple dairy categories, with well-established products such as ADORO Creamy Gouda, ADORO Light 10%, ADORO Cream cheese, ADORO Butter and ADORO milk creams.

In the same year, OPTIMA launched the legendary Kerrygold Regato PDO cheese! A relatively unknown brand in Greece, it soon became one of the most beloved cheese brandss for Greek consumers. In fact, Kerrygold was the first cheese ever advertised in Greek television in 1984! TIROTRELLA – children’s favorite cheese – and cheddar, gradually joined the KERRYGOLD family.

Up until 1995, OPTIMA was active in numerous categories of packaged foods, while was gradually increasing the emphasis on cheese. The turning point came in 1995 when OPTIMA took over the exclusive distribution of the EPIROS cheeses. After 2 years, in 1997, EPIROS (both the brand name and the manufacturing facility) was acquired by OPTIMA, making a clear shift towards cheese, a move which led the company to the leading position it is enjoying today.

The first cheeses produced by EPIROS were Feta PDO cheese, Kefalograviera PDO cheese and Myzithra. Since then, EPIROS has developed a full range of products including white cheeses in brine, whey cheeses, spreadable cheeses, yellow hard and semi hard cheeses, as well as traditional butters.

In 2005, the DIROLLO brand was launched. Today, it has more than 10 product SKUs and has been recognized as the brand with the largest assortment of low fat cheeses in Greece.

In 2007, OPTIMA launched LOGADI, a traditional cheese with a unique recipe, produced from a mix of sheep, goat and cow milk, with a rich taste and only 17% fat.

In 2009 OPTIMA undertook the distribution of TALAGANI APOSTOLOU, the handmade grilling cheese from Gargalianous, Messinia. In 2012, TALAGANI was acquired by OPTIMA and its production was transferred to EPIROS facilities in Arta.

OPTIMA welcomed LEVETI brand, a range of traditional products with the flagship LEVETI Kasseri PDO cheese, to its portfolio. LEVETI Kasseri is an authentic traditional PDO cheese, produced from 100% sheep and goat cheese.

In 2017, OPTIMA acquired Katiki Domokou OREINES PLAGIES brand as well as its production unit in Domokos. Katiki Domokou OREINES PLAGIES is a fresh PDO spreadable cheese with a rich taste and only 13% fat.

In 2019, “Farm EPIROS”, a prototype sheep and goat farm unit located next to EPIROS production plant in Kampi, Arta, started its operations. The vision for “Farm EPIROS” is to assist the improvement of sheep and goat farming in Greece, by developing best practices in collaboration with Greek Universities & providing technical expertise to Greek farmers.

In the same year, OPTIMA acquired the production facilities of VIGLA (DELTA) in Elassona. Following the implementation of an entire refurbishment plan, she OPTIMA transferred the production of all yellow semi-hard and soft cheeses of the company to Elassona.

OPTIMA introduced the innovative cereal bars EPIROS Zemitha Protein Bars, the first bars with whey protein plus and other important nutritional ingredients. In 2022, EPIROS Zemitha Protein Bars portfolio expanded through the launch of the “No Sugar Added” sub-range.

In 2021, the company entered a new category, that of frozen country-style pies, by launching EPIROPITA pies and EPIROPITAKIA mini pies filled with OPTIMA’s PDO cheeses. The range includes cheese pies, mini cheese pies and spinach cheese pies filled with EPIROS feta PDO cheese, as well as cheese pies filled with LEVETI Kasseri PDO cheese.

2022 marked the company’s entrance into the category of traditional Greek yoghurts, through the launch of EPIROS sheep yoghurt and EPIROS goat yoghurt.