Exclusive Interview with Charis Vekris – Founder Tsou.gr

Ouzo is called the national drink of Greece. It is even mentioned in many Greek songs. Exploring the internet, you may come across tsou.gr, a website that gathers the countless ouzo labels to inform drink lovers about its wide range.

Ouzo is not just a drink; it is intertwined with the culture of Greece and tsou.gr knows this well. Let’s find out more about tsou.gr, and what it has to offer not only to the Greek but also to the global audience.

Q: When did you decide to create tsou.gr? How did your love for Greek ouzo start?

Charis Vekris: I have always liked ouzo, with grilled octopus as a meze, but I didn’t have a special connection. Before I started my collection, I thought that the ouzo labels circulating in our country, could be counted on the fingers of one hand.

It has been more than 30 years since, on a trip to Northern Greece, I first tried great ouzos, the existence of which I was completely unaware of until then. Those different bottles with beautiful labels made me start my collection with 200ml ouzo bottles. I never imagined that even after so many years, there would be labels that I miss! Tsou.greece (which, read out loud, sounds a lot like “tsougrise”, i.e., “let’s clink our glasses” in Greek) marks the first attempt to create an online meeting point for ouzo enthusiasts across the globe. The website was first launched in 2007 to introduce to the broader public the countless ouzo labels which, up to that time, had remained in obscurity. By showcasing the special attributes and long history of Greece’s national drink, the second, upgraded version of our website, aims at also showcasing the distilling industry’s latest accomplishments, and at forging a modern image of ouzo that does it justice.

Q: What does the tsou.gr ouzo collection include?

Charis Vekris: The website presents my collection, which currently includes 850 different bottles of ouzo, from 265 distilleries in Greece and Cyprus. Of course, some of these distilleries are no longer in operation and their labels are now only collector’s items.

At first, I collected bottles of ouzo for my collection on my travels. Then I traveled specifically to collect bottles of ouzo that I did not have in my collection. Also, there are many friends who, when they find an ouzo that I am missing, remember me and bring it to me. In recent years, and after the recognition that tsou.gr has gained, several distilleries have sent us their bottles to post in our collection.

In addition to the presentation of my collection, on our website the visitor can find: information about the history of ouzo, the Global Map of Ouzo with its production sites in Greece and Cyprus, recipes for appetizers that accompany it and learn the news of the companies that produce it. As a start, our will pinpoint the locations of ouzo production in Greece and Cyprus.

Q: The ouzo industry is recording satisfactory exports. What prospects for further development do you consider, and in which countries?

Charis Vekris: According to data from the GREEK FEDERATION OF SPIRITS PRODUCERS (SEAOP), ouzo has long been the main protagonist of the extroversion of the Greek distillery, accounting for 56% of the value and 69% of the quantity of all exports of Greek spirits in 2024.

In 2024, an overall increase in the value of ouzo exports is recorded from €61.1 million in 2023 to €64.3 million, which in percentage terms translates into +5.2% with a corresponding increase in the exported quantity by ≈2.4% (from 24.8 million kg in 2023 to 25.4 million kg in 2024). Exports within the EU-27 in 2024 maintain their stability and show a small increase in value of +2.3%, and a decrease in quantity by -1.6%, compared to 2023.

Germany appears consistently in first place, as the main destination country for ouzo, with 43.5% in value (28 million €) and 48.2% in quantity (12.2 million kg), but a slight decline in its performance is observed in 2024 compared to 2023 in value and quantity. The Bulgarian market has been on a steady upward trend in recent years and is the 2nd most important export destination for ouzo at EU level. In 2024 compared to 2023, an increase in value of +25.4% is recorded (10 million €/2024 compared to 8 million €/2023) and in quantity of +20.2% (3.2 million kg /2024 from 2.7 million kg /2023). The figures for the Dutch, Belgian and French markets show a decline in intra-EU deliveries in both value and quantity.

Exports outside the EU-27 seem to be recovering (after the decline they experienced in 2023) recording an increase in both value and quantity. Specifically, the percentage increase in value is +11.7% and in quantity +12.8%. This positive change is mainly attributed to Iraq, the 2nd export destination of ouzo, to which ouzo exports are gradually recovering, reaching a value of €15.1 million (+6%) and a quantity of 5.8 million kg (+7%). The markets of the USA, FYROM, Israel and Australia show a positive sign in 2024.

The information that we as tsou.gr can provide according to the visits recorded on our website, is that interest in ouzo abroad is mainly found in countries such as Germany, the United States of America, France, Turkey, Italy, Great Britain, Bulgaria, Iraq, the Netherlands, and even countries in South America.

Q: From your experience, how do you see the relationship between Greek ouzo and the US market?

Charis Vekris: I believe that there is a very good relationship between ouzo and the USA market due to the large Greek community living in the country. Certainly, there is still a lot of room for development for a Greek spirit, which continues to be prepared by people who remain faithful to the traditional recipes of their ancestors.

Of course, the technological equipment of the production units has been modernized, as has the visual identity of the product, which in many cases is particularly attractive! The trend now is the production of excellent premium spirits from 100% distillate.

Q: Do you distinguish any Greek ouzo labels?

Charis Vekris: I wouldn’t like to mention specific labels, because I would be unfair to some distilleries if I didn’t mention them. But I can tell you in which parts of Greece I have found ouzo spirits that I stand out: Of course, in Plomari but also on the entire island of Lesvos. On islands such as Chios, Limnos, Samos, Syros, and Crete. From Northern Greece I would suggest nice ouzo from Komotini, Alexandroupoli, Aridaia and Serres, while from the Peloponnese I would single out Patras and Kalamata. All these suggestions are always based on taste criteria, in which of course the combination with the corresponding appetizers of each region plays a very important role.