Livestock has always been the mainstay of Metsovo’s economy. Cheese-making is another pole of development. The cheese factory of the Tositsa Foundation has been operating in Metsovo since 1958, absorbing almost the entire milk production of the region. The cheese industry experienced a huge growth throughout the Turkish yoke and the Metsovite cheese merchants used special craftsmen who were sent and learned the art of making cheese in Italy, mainly in Sardinia. Kaskavali cheese was produced in the area of Metsovo and exported to Italy. Given that the Foundation places more emphasis on learning and cheese-making than on entrepreneurship, it has enabled its cheesemakers to experiment, without stressing the cost of their experiments.
The Tositsa Foundation Dairy produces 170 tons of cheese annually, utilizing 1,700 tons of milk, which stand out for their quality. The cheeses that are hard to find and are produced in limited quantities as far as the local milk and the traditional way of production allow, are the following: the smoked Metsovone which is also the most famous and has been characterized as a PDO product, the semi-hard Metsovella, the sweet Graviera type “Gryier”, the hard to find Grana or Parmesan and the peppery Metsovisio or Gidisio or Gidisio or Maisio. The reputation of local cheese products goes beyond the borders of the country.
Local cheeses produced by the Tositsa Foundation
Metsovone production process
