Like the fine olives for which it is famous, our roots are also in Kalamata. It is where, in 1888, as a small family business, Karelia first began making tobacco products. A hundred years ago the company sold cut tobacco in paper pouches to local customers. Kalamata is still our home. But now we’ve grown to become Greece’s largest cigarette manufacturer and exporter with a state-of-the-art factory producing a full range of high quality brands for both domestic and export markets.

One thing has never changed and that is the values that first inspired the founders of our unique Company. From the very beginning, quality, innovation and originality have defined the spirit of Karelia. That same spirit has inspired us even as we have grown into a major international business and will continue to inspire us as we build our business into the 21st century.