Teta Dadakaridou, the Managing Director of Alati Dadakarides S.A., gave a full interview to journalist Maria Smilidou in the context of the business related videos of Naftemporiki. She spoke about the challenges and achievements in her business journey as the fourth generation at the helm of a company with a long historical legacy.
Historical journey
The beginning is half of everything and Teta Dadakaridou shared with us the origins of the business by diving into the inner parts of the family legacy. The business genius lies with her great-grandfather Konstantinos Dadakarides, who was involved in general trade as early as 1912 and then specialized in processing and trading salt. Everything started from a store in Ladadika. Later on, the salt processing workshop was established in the industrial area of Evosmos. In 1978, the company relocated to create modern facilities in Lagadas, Thessaloniki, where it has remained until today, reaching 112 years of business.
10,000 applications of salt
Surprisingly, more than 10,000 uses of salt have been identified. The interview lists some of the most important usages and applications of salt, some of which are known and others lesser known. Starting with human diet, apart from table, sea or mineral salt, the salt is found in many foods such as cheese, salt cured food, olives, pickles, sausages and snacks. Applications in various industries such as tanning, cattle and poultry farming, chemical and pharmaceutical industries, as well as applications such as water softening and road de-icing were also mentioned.
Dadakarides S.A. in the present day
In response to a question from the interviewer, Teta Dadakaridou spoke about the evolution of the family business through years of partnerships and investment in new technologies and people. Nowadays, Dadakarides S.A. employs 25 people in a 20,000 sq.m. facility.
Raw material and production process
The raw material comes from carefully selected salt marshes in Greece and the Mediterranean. The salt then undergoes the various stages of the production process such as washing, drying, granulation or grinding, depending on the application for which it is intended.
The present and the future
Today, the company is a leader in the industrial salt sector in Greece and its production potential reaches 80,000-100,000 tons of salt per year. It already boasts a strong export activity, mainly in the Balkans and its next target is Central Eastern Europe. Following an ambitious investment plan, the company aims to create innovative products and penetrate new markets.
The challenges of the CEO role
Finally, Teta Dadakaridou addressed the challenges associated with her role in the competitive, male-dominated salt industry, referring to some beliefs that fortunately tend to be in the minority nowadays.
Through the words and experience of the CEO we gained insight into a healthy family business with a rich history. It is extremely interesting to get to know SMEs from the inside and to support Greek entrepreneurship.
Watch the whole interview in the video below.