Naxos cheese earns global top hard‑cheese honor, boosting island’s culinary tourism

The Graviera Naxos PDO cheese has been named the world’s best hard cheese by the Taste Atlas platform. The award highlights the island’s 70‑year cheese‑making tradition and the centennial anniversary of the Naxos Agricultural Cooperatives Union. President Dimitris Kapounis said, “Through gastronomy we can show our place and what we produce,” noting that the accolade serves as a powerful promotion for both Naxos and Greece. The cooperative is linking primary production with the tourism sector, offering visitors cooking and cheesemaking workshops and planning to open its dairy to tourists by year‑end. Exports now reach more than 20 countries, and the product features prominently in hotels and restaurants across the island.