KONSTANTINOS V. MARKOU S.A.

KONSTANTINOS V. MARKOU S.A. (commonly Markou SA) is a Greek agricultural commodities company whose roots go back to 1955, when four brothers — Anastasios, Dimitrios, Ilias and Konstantinos Markou — began ginning cotton in the Livadia region of mid-north Greece. The company describes itself as having more than 70 years of experience in the agricultural industry and as one of the oldest and largest cotton ginning companies and traders in Greece. The firm's core business is cotton ginning: processing raw seed cotton into marketable lint bales. Each bale is quality tested for grading and classification, and the company also trades raw cotton, physically selecting bales to match customer specifications. Its ginned cotton is exported to more than 10 countries across Europe, Africa and Asia, supplying spinning mills worldwide. Markou SA has been a member of the International Cotton Association (ICA) since 2000 and trades under ICA bylaws and rules where applicable. Beyond lint cotton, the company processes and sells cottonseed and cottonseed oil, and produces cotton cake as a by-product of pressing cottonseed and extracting oil. Whole cottonseed is marketed as a high-energy, high-protein feed ingredient for cattle, especially lactating cows, while cotton cake is sold as feed for sheep, lambs and goats. Markou SA also trades grains — soft wheat, hard wheat, barley, corn and oat — as well as cotton seed, cotton cake, soya flour and sugar pie. Operations are concentrated in Greece's main cotton-producing regions. The company's Livadia plant, operating since 1969, combines a cotton ginning facility, a seed processing unit and storage on a site of about 80,000 m² with 13,000 m² of floor space. A second ginning plant in Achillio, Larissa, began operating in 1994, and a plant at Farkadona includes ginning facilities, storage and offices. Markou SA also operates numerous additional warehouses and production plants across Greece — including Tithorea, Agios Andreas, Heraklia, Revmatia, Neo Monastiri, Filia, Giannitsa, Kilada and Sindos — positioned close to cotton and grain fields for easy access by farmers and suppliers. The company presents itself as a global, multinational supplier built on high quality and ethical standards, serving farmers and producers in the Livadia and Larissa regions, which together represent more than half of Greece's total cotton production. It remains an active, privately held Greek company; no parent company or stock listing is indicated in the available sources.

The entrepreneurial activities of the Markou brothers in the cotton market first emerged in 1955, when four siblings — Anastasios, Dimitrios, Ilias and Konstantinos Markou — began ginning cotton at facilities in the Livadia region of mid-north Greece. This period coincided with the dawn of mechanised cultivation in Greece, and the family's entry into cotton ginning placed it at the foundation of the modern Greek cotton industry. Backed by experience in cotton ginning and the grain sector, and offering reliable services, the company established a solid standing among global suppliers in the cotton and grain industries. In 1969, the company launched its seed processing facility in Livadia. A few years later, in 1978, it also started operating a cotton ginning industrial plant in Livadia. The Livadia site would become a central hub: it combines a cotton ginning facility, a seed processing unit and storage facilities, with total floor space covering 13,000 m² on a plot of land measuring 80,000 m². In 1994, the company began operating a second cotton ginning industrial plant in Achillio, Larissa, also in mid-north Greece. With this expansion, the firm served farmers and producers in both the Livadia and Larissa regions, which together represent more than half of Greece's total cotton production. A further plant at Farkadona (Klokotos & 22nd km N.R. Trikala–Larisa) includes cotton ginning facilities, storage spaces and offices. Over the decades, Markou SA grew into one of the oldest and largest cotton ginning companies and traders in Greece. It became a member of the International Cotton Association (ICA) in 2000, trading under ICA bylaws and rules where applicable, and its ginned cotton is now exported to more than 10 countries in Europe, Africa and Asia. The company also diversified into related agricultural commodities: it trades grains covering soft wheat, hard wheat, barley, corn and oat, as well as cotton seed, cotton cake, soya flour and sugar pie. Its processing operations produce cottonseed oil and cotton cake as by-products of pressing cottonseed. In addition to its main plants, the company operates a high number of other industrial facilities in Greece — warehouses and production plants in Tithorea, Agios Andreas, Heraklia, Revmatia, Neo Monastiri, Filia, Giannitsa, Kilada and Sindos — chosen for their close distance to cotton and grain fields and easy accessibility for farmers and suppliers. Today Markou SA presents itself as a global, multinational company with more than 70 years of experience in the agricultural industry, maintaining high quality and ethical standards.

• 2000

  Markou SA becomes a member of the International Cotton Association (ICA).

• 1994

  The company begins operating a second cotton ginning industrial plant in Achillio, Larissa.

• 1978

  The company starts operating a cotton ginning industrial plant in Livadia.

• 1969

  The company launches its seed processing facility in Livadia.

• 1955

  Anastasios, Dimitrios, Ilias and Konstantinos Markou begin ginning cotton at facilities in the Livadia region, mid-north Greece.

One of Greece's oldest and largest cotton ginning companies and traders, with a global multinational presence and a commitment to high quality and ethical standards.

• Cotton

  Ginned cotton lint, quality tested per bale for grading and classification; also raw cotton traded with physical bale selection. Exported to more than 10 countries in Europe, Africa and Asia.

• Cottonseed

  Whole cottonseed sold as a high-energy, high-protein feed ingredient for cattle, especially lactating cows.

• Cotton Cake

  By-product of pressing cottonseed and extracting oil; high in protein and fibre, ideal feedstuff for sheep, lambs and goats.

• Cottonseed Oil

  Vegetable oil from expeller pressing of cotton seeds; crude cottonseed oil produced at around 12% of the seed amount.

• Grains

  Trading of soft wheat, hard wheat, barley, corn and oat.

• Other traded items

  Cotton seed, cotton cake, soya flour and sugar pie.

1. 1Markou SA - Konstantinos V. Markou SAmarkousa.com
2. 2About Us - Konstantinos V. Markou SAmarkousa.com
3. 3Products - Konstantinos V. Markou SAmarkousa.com
4. 4Facilities - Konstantinos V. Markou SAmarkousa.com
5. 5KONSTANTINOS V . MARKOU S . A .wikidata.org