BHMA 29 (2015)

Greek flavors of tuna

Alelma company sends the “treasure” of Alonissos to Europe

Ελληνικές γεύσεις τόνου
«Every place has the need to highlight the products it has” support the founders of the company, Amalia Kalogiannis and Giorgos Anagnostou

The Greek Alonissos tuna was made known in Europe by the Αlelma tuna processing and standardization workshop, creating standardized high quality products. The couple Giorgos Anagnostou and Amalia Kalogiannis, born in a fishing village of Alonissos, founded the company in 2007, in their place of origin, aiming to promote the unique treasure of their island to the consumers of Greece and beyond.

The company only uses tuna that is caught in the waters of Alonissos by fishing boats in the area in the traditional way and transforms it after processing it in the Alonissian way into a series of delicacies which are available in the characteristic glass packaging. In addition to the traditional tuna in organic olive oil, the company produces smoked tuna, spicy (red pepper) and tuna flakes.

Giorgos Anagnostou and Amalia Kalogiannis rely on the production of the two most exquisite types of tuna, the red (tuna) and the white (tunaki), while the production process takes place in the winter months, which is also the tuna fishing season.

The development course of the company, as mentioned by Mrs. Kalogianni, is based on the fact that “we combine the refined taste with the supplementation of all the trace elements and vitamins that are necessary in our diet for the proper development of our organism. The main advantage of Alelma products is the absence of mercury, therefore it can be consumed without fear by small children and pregnant women.

The Alelma company has spread to every corner of Greece. However, as Mrs. Kalogianni says, “we are not limited to the domestic market, but have put a lot of effort into expanding into European countries. We have slowly started collaborations with England, Belgium, Germany, Romania, our neighbor Cyprus and we have set our sights on expanding beyond Europe. In this way we achieve our upward trajectory and try to improve and enrich our product range so as to make the sustainability of the company easier.”