Haitoglou Family Foods

It all began almost a century ago! Haitoglou family had just arrived in Thessaloniki, Greece after leeing Asia Minor. The most important thing they brought with them was not their belongings: It was their love for family traditions and a secret family recipe for making the most popular sesame-based treat… Halva.

It was in 1924 that they opened a small shop dedicated to creating their delicious halva by hand in small batches, continuing the craft their fathers and grandfathers had taught them.

Throughout the years many things changed: the small shop became the center of attention for everyone that loved halva, as more and more people were drawn to this artisanal treat.

But some things remained the same: The passion to create the best products, the legacy embodied in the family’s secret recipe and, of course, the symbol of a female figure in a traditional Northern Greek costume.

The “woman from Thessaloniki” - or the “Halva Lady” as she became widely known - the proud, graceful figure with no name, started as a symbol to help people identify their favorite halva at a time when many couldn’t read. While the image evolved over time, it’s still the emblem of Haitoglou Family Foods, as it embodies our roots, heritage and tradition.

Building on our family’s values, we continue our mission with a passion to share our legacy, our unique craft and our favorite products with every family, as we have done for four generations.

Our company is committed to contribute to the evolution of business as a means of maximizing value for the environment and society. This is why we've been quite forceful in transforming our company by incorporating environmentally positive policies, to ensure day-to-day operations minimize our environmental footprint, and, most importantly, reflect our core values. Recycled packaging is a great way to extend the life of previously used, non-renewable materials. When deciding on our boxes or display containers, we use recycled paperboard where possible. We always strive to ensure the recyclability of our materials and to expand recycled content requirements. Our commitment to recycling is also evident in the presence of infrastructure to collect and recycle a variety of materials (paper, glass, scrap metal) throughout our facilities. Sustainable packaging isn't just about recycling and using recycled materials, but also about reducing single-use plastic packaging waste. This is why several of our flagship product lines are gradually replacing plastic jars with glass, as a more sustainable alternative. Implementing green initiatives at any touchpoint of our products’ journey is a continuous endeavor, going hand in hand with assisting our customers in realizing their goals for eco-friendly packaging for their products.