Combined exports of Greek feta cheese and olive oil surpassed €2.1 billion in 2025, underscoring the two products' role as pillars of the country's agricultural economy, according to figures released by Greece's Agricultural Development and Food Ministry.
Domestic feta production reached approximately 152,700 tons in 2025, accounting for nearly 64% of Greece's total recorded cheese output.
The cheese consumed 75% of Greece's domestically produced sheep's milk and 41% of its goat's milk, meaning 69% of all sheep and goat milk produced in the country went into feta production.
Roughly 105,000 tons of feta, or 69% of total output, were exported, generating €835 million in revenue and accounting for 9% of Greece's total food export value.
Germany remains the top destination market, followed by Italy, the United Kingdom, France and the United States, with these five countries absorbing 70% of total feta exports.
"Feta and olive oil are not simply two of Greece's most recognizable products. Behind them stand thousands of producers, farming families, processing businesses and entire local economies," Secretary General for Rural Development and Food Spyros Protopsaltis told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA).
Greece's olive oil sector, supporting approximately 700,000 producers nationwide, generated €1.31 billion in exports in 2025, representing 12.4% of the country's total food exports. Production for the 2025-2026 season is estimated at 235,000 tons, with exports projected at 139,000 tons. Based on the 2022-2025 average, Greece ranks fourth globally in olive oil production, behind Spain, Turkey and Tunisia.
Mr. Protopsaltis said the next major challenge is increasing the share of olive oil sold packaged and branded, rather than in bulk, to ensure more of its final value returns to Greek producers.
Separately, the ministry announced updates to Greece's Olive Registry aimed at improving sector oversight, with mandatory harvest declarations postponed to the 2026-2027 season, beginning October 1, 2026, to allow for technical adjustments.
The reforms aim to integrate the registry with Greece's tax authority and farm subsidy databases, reducing bureaucratic burden on olive producers.