Our Company

Desserts are the family business.

The story of the KORAKIS-MARINOS company begins with the historic trajectory of its founder, Panagiotis Korakis, a man who remained faithful to his vision throughout his life.

Panagiotis Korakis started as an importer in the sugar and flour trade. In 1935, he decided to expand his business to the field of desserts. After all, the prime materials he could find in the famous citrus groves of Chios, as well as the sugar and flour in which he traded himself, were enough for him to take his first steps in that new territory under the best conditions.

He set up his first workshop near Vournakiou Square. There they originally made baklava and kadayif (syrupy pastries), as well as the famed Korakis’ quince pastry (kydonopasto). The company withstood the adversities of World War II and the German occupation and remained active during that time, thanks to its founder’s tenacity and commercial genius.

After the war, the workshop moved to Venizelou Street. It was there that they began to systematically produce their preserved-fruit-in-syrup desserts (spoon sweets, as they are called in Greece), which would end up being their most characteristic desserts not just in the local market but throughout Greece.

The love and trust people showed to the products from the very beginning are due to Panagiotis Korakis’ devotion and credibility, as he used exclusively traditional recipes from Chios to make the desserts, juices, and mastic-flavored sweets (ypovrychio, which is Greek for “submarine”, as the form of the dessert is a spoonful of the sweet submerged in water). Panagiotis Korakis supervised the workshop himself so as to ensure the proper preparation and quality of the products. At first, the desserts were sold in bulk; they were later packaged in tin cans, and eventually in glass containers, which keep evolving and improving on both a practical and an aesthetic level to this day.

From 1950 onward, the company grew and widened its product selection. However, the greater changes took place after 1985, when Panagiotis Korakis’ daughter, Irini, took over the company along with her husband, Dimitris Marinos. A new workshop opened in the Kontari area, while the modern and family-owned factory in Chalkios, Municipality of Kampochora, started its operation in 1989.

The future of the company lies with continuing the family tradition, with the 3rd generation – Achilleas, Despina and Panagiotis – now following their grandfather’s footsteps, their fundamental principles being top quality materials, traditional homemade recipes from Chios, and respect for the consumers.

Currently, the company produces over 40 different types of preserved fruits in syrup, mastic or vanilla flavored sweets (ypovrychio), fruits-in-syrup and ypovrychio dessert mixes (glykovrychio), nougat pies, jams, concentrated sugared juices, and sugared almond extract juice (soumada).
The company products are available throughout Greece via representatives, as well as in foreign markets such as those of Cyprus, Australia, the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, Lithuania, Turkey, Russia, and Arab countries.