The small traditional famous dairy in Corfu, started its operation in 1926.
It is a “stalia”, it does not exceed, with its two small spaces, even ten square meters. It is “hidden” in a small cantonment, in Pinia, in the Old Town, but it has managed to please kings, presidents of countries, prime ministers, party leaders, tycoons, as well as all those tourists who may not be aware of its long history , but they know its unique flavors, which take them back to other times, those of grandma.
The reason for a small traditional dairy that began its history at the beginning of the 20th century.
“Onassis’ favorite. From here he used to get butter for Tsaki to eat in her breakfast”, some Corfu residents will tell APE-MBE, while Mr. Kostas Alexis, the owner of the dairy, will say that “it was also the favorite of the patriarch, Konstantinos Karamanlis and how many others…”.
“I remember I was a little kid. Karamanlis came to Corfu almost every Easter. Dad knew and prepared yogurt for him in a clay pot. That’s how he wanted it. She would prepare enough for him and take them to the hotel. This happened every year when he came,” Mr. K. Alexis will remember with nostalgia, although as he confesses the one he will never forget was the Russian president of the Russian Federation, Boris Yeltsin.
“I can’t forget how tall he was, even though I was on the step, he was even taller. I am left with this man, he was very tall. He ate rice milk, he was delighted,” Mr. Kostas Alexis will say.
The small traditional famous dairy in Corfu, started its operation in 1926.
“In the beginning it was operated by my grandfather as a fruit shop, but very soon my father turned it into a milk shop. We also had our own animals then, so it was the best decision”, he will say. “A traditional dairy as it operates today without changing anything, not even its recipes,” he will add.
Mr. Alexis will not reveal the secrets to the fluffy, dry-baked, richly creamed galaktobourek, the creams, the rice milk, the homemade yogurt and the pale yellow cow’s butter. He will only reveal that “his father learned the art from a very good craftsman of the time and it continues today, literally”, as he emphasizes, always relying on organic products, as his family still maintains a small unit of cows and from here he produces fresh milk, the basic ingredient of his desserts.
“We breed about 25 cows, so all the products are our own and controlled. The business is a family business, but we also have five other employees who help us. The work is hard, but also very pleasant”, will emphasize Mr. Alexis.
Supporters in his “fight” as he says, are his wife and his three sons. The youngest, 25-year-old Panagiotis, after completing his studies at the Department of Economic Sciences of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, decided to continue his studies at the Dairy School of Ioannina. What prompted him to do it is that “tradition, in order to continue to exist, needs science”, as he says.
“Tradition goes hand in hand with science, everyone must be the best in their kind and understand what they are doing” will say Panagiotis who feels particularly happy to be following, for the fourth generation now, his grandfather’s profession.
The shop has not been modernized, despite the passage of time, it keeps its identity, as it was almost 100 years ago.
Two or three small iron tables outside and but that much in the small hall. The place smells of cinnamon and sweet fragrances.
The small dairy of Corfu was hosted in culture tributes, on many television stations in Europe, but also in Asia.
On its walls are “pinned” the memories, the great reports from world-renowned magazines, photos of country presidents, prime ministers, ministers, party leaders, famous artists. Everyone happy. They simply tasted the purest, the most special, that awakened their own childhood memories and “sweetened” their mood.
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