Kefir surge reshapes Greece’s fermented dairy market as sales rise 61%
Greek kefir sales reached €30.95 million in the 48 weeks through November 30, 2025, up 61% year on year. Growth continued in the first 12 weeks of 2026, while private-label products and expanding regional brands intensified competition.
Sales accelerate beyond the wider milk category
Kefir is becoming one of the fastest-growing segments of Greece’s dairy market, supported by consumer interest in probiotics, digestibility and products associated with wellness. According to Ypaithros, kefir accounts for about 1.2% of the country’s dairy market and is gaining more space in supermarket refrigerators. Ayran and sour milk together represent up to an estimated 0.4%, although separate data for ayran are unavailable.
Kefir sales reached €30.95 million during the 48 weeks through November 30, 2025, compared with €19.22 million in the corresponding period of 2024. The 61% increase placed the product among the strongest growth trends in organized food retail. Ayran and sour milk generated more than €10 million in combined sales, taking the broader market for these fermented products above €40 million.
Momentum continued during the first 12 weeks of 2026. Kefir sales rose 35.5% to €8.45 million from €6.24 million in the comparable period. Although the 48-week and 12-week figures are not directly comparable in absolute terms, they indicate that demand persisted after the rapid expansion of 2025. By comparison, turnover in the wider milk category increased 6.1% in the first 12 weeks of 2026 and 4.7% during the first 11 months of 2025.
Private labels expand as established brands compete
Private-label kefir recorded particularly rapid growth, led by Lidl’s GALPO brand in market share. Private-label sales reached €5.59 million in 2025, an increase of 95.2%. They totaled €1.34 million at the beginning of 2026, up another 36.7%. Their expansion indicates that kefir is moving beyond a specialist audience and becoming part of supermarket chains’ core dairy ranges.
Koukakis Farm remains the market leader. Ypaithros reports an overall market share of 28%; during the first 12 weeks of 2026, the company generated €2.87 million in sales, up 45.4%, and held a 25.8% share. Olympos ended 2025 with sales of €6.25 million, an increase of 54.1%, before reaching €1.62 million in the first 12 weeks of 2026, up 40.6%.
MEVGAL was the fastest-growing large participant in 2025. Its sales jumped 120.1% to €5.01 million. In the opening 12 weeks of 2026, sales increased 23.8% to €1.66 million. EVOL, the dairy business of the Volos Agricultural Cooperative, nearly doubled its sales at the start of 2026, recording growth of 99%.
Regional producers widen the competitive field
Smaller producers are also benefiting. Northern Greece-based Ygieia increased sales by 26.2% in 2025 and 49.1% in the first 12 weeks of 2026. Stamou, owned by the Jotis group, recorded growth of 38.7% and 18.5% in the respective periods. Rodopi, part of the Hellenic Dairies group, grew 13.7% in 2025 and 25.8% in 2026. The Tefas Family’s Syrrako brand advanced 13.5% and 13.8%, while Menoikio posted a 22.8% sales increase.
Dairies are responding by adding products, flavors and packaging formats to attract consumers who previously bought mainly milk or yogurt. As more companies enter, competition is intensifying around shelf visibility, retail distribution and pricing. The simultaneous growth of market leaders, regional producers and private labels is turning kefir from a niche drink into a significant investment and commercial-development category for the Greek dairy industry.