When Stelios Angelodemou, president of the Cyprus Community of Melbourne and Victoria, first conceived the idea of a Halloumi Festival in Melbourne, he could non have anticipated its actual success.

“It’s success was beyond our expectations,” Mr Angelodemou told Neos Kosmos.

“Many thousands of people – among them ministers, MPs and other dignitaries came by the Cyprus Community during the weekend, to enjoy halloumi and other delicacies, as well as singing and dancing.”

Celebrity chef George Calombaris, who visited the festival, praised halloumi and all the other delicacies on offer.

According to Mr Angelodemou, the festival attracted many visitors of non-Greek background.

“We had all ethnicities – from Egnlish tourists to Turks and Arabs,” Mr Angelodemou said.

George Kyprianou, Treasurer of the Panagrotikos Farmers Union of Cyprus, which supported the event, also seemed to be impressed and stated that the Halloumi Festival is going to be an annual event.
“Not even in Cyprus can we attract so many visitors,” he said.
Minister for Families and Children Jenny Mikakos represented the State Government of Victoria. She announced the Andrews Labor government’s pledge to fund the Cyprus Community of Melbourne and Victoria with $250,000, if re-elected. That is on top of the $250,000 already offered by the Labor government, to be used for the construction of a new community building, at the location where its current building stands.

“Labor’s investment acknowledges that in every way, our Cypriot community has made Victoria stronger and more successful,” said Minister Mikakos, a viewpoint shared by Oakleigh MP, Steve Dimopoulos. “Labor believes we are stronger for our diversity, and we will always support every Victorian in sharing and celebrating their heritage. This announcement backs that belief with real investment,” he said.

The festival was also attended by the High Commissioner of Cyprus, Martha Mavrommatis, the Consul General of Greece in Melbourne, Dimitrios Michalopoulos, the President of the Greek Community of Melbourne and Victoria, Bill Papastergiadis, Victoria’s Small Business Minister Philip Dalidakis, Minister of Multicultural Affairs, Robin Scott, Energy Minister Lily D’ Ambrosio, Labor Candidate for Northcote, Kat Theofanous, Labor Candidate for Brunswick, Cindy O’ Connor and many others.

Better cultural understanding, through cheese

These kinds of events bring people together, says Robin Scott, Victoria’s Minister for Multicultural Affairs, who attended the official opening of the festival.

“We have a better understanding of other people’s culture, and we can break down stereotypes easily,” Minister Scott told SBS Greek. “When you start sharing your food culture, you start to engage with the broader community.”

Martha Mavrommatis, the High Commissioner of the Republic of Cyprus in Australia, who was in Melbourne for the festival, says that halloumi is definitely a multicultural cheese, and points out that halloumi is a uniquely Cypriot product.

“Cultural diplomacy starts from the stomach,” she says. “In the case of Cyprus, halloumi united all our communities; Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, Latins, Armenians, Maronites. Because, as you know, half of our island is occupied by the Turkish Army for the past 44 years and we’re struggling under the Occupation and trying to unify our country,” Mavrommatis says.

Importing multicultural products

There are also important economic and industrial aspects to the hallou-mania. Halloumi has been exported from Cyprus in huge quantities for years, and that industry appears likely to grow even further.

“Halloumi is a product that we want to be Cypriot-branded, like all the member-countries of the European Union doing with their unique products,” says Mavrommatis.

Australia and the European Union (EU) launched negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA) in June 2018. As a bloc, the EU is Australia’s second largest trading partner, third largest export destination, and second largest services market. The EU was Australia’s largest source of foreign investment in 2017.

Dimitrios Michalopoulos, the Consul General of Greece in Melbourne, says that Cyprus and Greece are struggling to get their products into to the Australian market.

“It will be easier as soon as the free trade agreement will be signed,” says Michalopoulos. “It will take some time but the agreement will bring more multicultural products in Australia.”

The United Kingdom is the world’s biggest halloumi importer, while exports in Australia are also growing quickly. It comes of little surprise then that many British citizens living in Australia attended the festival.

”It is an honour for us to bring all the people from so many different cultures here under our house, and that makes me very proud,” Angelodemou said. “As far as we know, almost every restaurant in Victoria uses halloumi in their menus, and that is very encouraging.”

Neos Kosmos