Greece’s Menoikio agricultural industrial cooperative has a breeding unit for goats and sheep, a feed storage facility and a cheese factory situated in the fertile plain of the municipality of Prosotsani, nestled at the foot of Mount Menoikio. This location in northern Greece enjoys rich soils and good air quality.

A natural ventilation system is created by a 10 kilometre canyon extending from the cooperative’s facilities, ensuring fresh air circulation throughout the day. As a result, despite housing thousands of livestock, the area maintains an atmosphere of freshness and cleanliness. The location is surrounding a 90 acre fenced organic pasture. Here, the animals can graze freely in a protected environment, adapting to seasonal and weather conditions without risk.

Established in 2007, the animal husbandry unit adheres to EU regulations for organic milk and meat production, following the standards of semi-housed animal husbandry. Reducing the farm's carbon footprint has been a multifaceted, ongoing process. Crucial to this effort is sustained investment in science and research, providing up-to-date knowledge on best practices, as well as economically viable solutions for reducing carbon emissions and practically applicable methods to lower other environmental impacts.

The proposed project was directly related to the 'Smart Specialisation Strategy' of Thrace, a region of eastern Macedonia, in the fields of agri-food and environment.

This LEADER project aimed to implement an innovative integrated method reducing the environmental impact and carbon footprint of local businesses such as cheese producers, dairies and wineries by:

Pilot production of the new diary local product involved testing: a) initial heat treatment of the cheese milk and its subsequent fermentation for the development of taste, aroma and texture; b) addition of vegetable oil as well as stabilisers to improve texture and nutritional value; and c) fruit in various forms (pulp, juice) and flavourings to improve the organoleptic characteristics (taste, sight, smell and feel) of the product.

In addition, research assessed consumer feedback of the new product as well as measurements to determine the carbon footprint, before and after the implementation of the method took place.

Further technical evaluation took place to understand the physicochemical and microbiological parameters of the cheese milk and buttermilk including changes in its composition.

Product development stages advanced with tests on different curd processing techniques and technology followed by safety and serviceability checks. This informed a pilot production phase of the new drinkable dessert which then expanded into full industrial production.

Three actions to disseminate project results were held during 2023 and 2024 in the Drama region.

Main results