Greece and Cyprus Take Kiwifruit and Halloumi to Miami

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Greece and Cyprus are taking two very different food exports to Miami this September, putting Greek kiwifruit and Cyprus’s PDO Halloumi directly in front of American buyers as part of a €3.62 million European campaign targeting €6.85 million in new exports by 2028.

The US push will include an exclusive industry tasting at Meraki Greek Bistro in Downtown Miami on Tuesday, 15 September, bringing European producers together with importers, distributors, hospitality professionals and other food industry decision-makers.

It is more than a Mediterranean tasting night. The event is part of EUKIHAL, an EU co-funded programme designed to strengthen exports of Greek kiwifruit and Cypriot Halloumi PDO across four major international markets: the United States, Canada, Australia and South Korea.

The campaign has set a target of generating €2.85 million in additional kiwifruit exports and €4 million in new Halloumi PDO exports by 2028. Its total budget is €3.62 million, of which almost €2.9 million is being contributed by the European Union.

The timing in Miami is deliberate. The tasting will be held on the second evening of the Americas Food & Beverage Show, which runs from 14 to 16 September at the Miami Beach Convention Center and brings international producers face-to-face with buyers across retail, food service, hospitality and distribution. EUKIHAL is also listed among the show’s 2026 exhibitors.

For Greece, the more unexpected part of the story may be the kiwifruit.

While olive oil, feta and wine remain more immediately associated with the country internationally, Greek kiwifruit has developed considerable export weight. According to official EU campaign data, Greek kiwifruit accounted for 52 per cent of the value of EU27 kiwifruit exports to the United States in 2024. In Canada the figure was 62 per cent, while in South Korea Greek fruit represented the entire value of EU27 kiwifruit exports that year.

The fruit being promoted through EUKIHAL comes from the Agricultural Cooperative of Nestos in the Kavala region of northern Greece. Established in 1988 as an asparagus producers’ cooperative, the organisation subsequently expanded into crops including kiwifruit, apricots and plums and now operates in international markets.

Miami offers an opportunity to build on that momentum by getting the fruit in front of the businesses that can move it further into American retail and food-service supply chains.

For Cyprus, the proposition is different.

Halloumi is already one of the island’s most internationally recognisable foods, but its protected status has become increasingly important as the cheese has gained popularity outside Cyprus.

Halloumi/Hellim was registered as an EU Protected Designation of Origin in 2021. Under the designation, cheese marketed under the protected name within the European Union must be produced in Cyprus and comply with the registered PDO specification.

The EUKIHAL campaign says Halloumi already enjoys considerable popularity in markets including the US, Canada and Australia, but faces competition from locally produced halloumi-style cheeses. Part of the strategy is therefore to make the distinction between Halloumi PDO and imitation products more meaningful to overseas buyers and consumers.

Representatives from the Agricultural Cooperative of Nestos and the Panagrotikos Farmers Union of Cyprus will attend the Miami event, discussing production, traceability, European food standards and the commercial potential of the products.

A live culinary demonstration will also show how the kiwifruit and Halloumi can be used within restaurant and hospitality settings, giving prospective buyers a practical look at their food-service applications.

Miami is an apt place for that conversation. The Americas Food & Beverage Show positions itself as a meeting point for international producers seeking access to buyers throughout the Americas, with its programme covering not only products but the practicalities of importing food into the United States.

For Greece and Cyprus, that makes the week an opportunity to turn two distinctly European products into something more commercially consequential.

The EUKIHAL tasting will take place at 6pm on Tuesday, 15 September 2026, at Meraki Greek Bistro, 190 SE 1st Ave, Downtown Miami. Food industry professionals interested in attending can obtain further information through the EUKIHAL campaign.

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