Greek Exporters

Athenian Brewery S.A. is the largest brewer in Greece, producing and trading beer, since 1963. It was established by a group of Greek entrepreneurs who set up and operated the first industrial unit in Athens in collaboration with Amstel Brouwerij B.V, back in 1965. That year, Athenian brewing operations commenced what is now the story of Athenian Brewery S.A., producing what has come to be the most popular and wanted beer in the country, Amstel. In 1968 it became the operating company of Heineken N.V. in Greece, following the merger between Heineken and Amstel in Holland. It remains so until today. A second plant was inaugurated in 1974 in Thessaloniki, to further expand the production. In 1976 Amstel achieved to become the top best selling beer in Greece, a position it still holds today.

In 1981 Athenian Brewery launched Heineken beer while a third industrial unit in Patra was built. In 1990, the production of the alcohol-free beer Buckler was launched; 1993 was an important year for Athenian Brewery since it launched the production of the Natural Mineral Water Ioli in its new plant located in Lamia, a region famous for its springs and water. At the same time, Athenian Brewery enriched its portfolio with major imported beers, such as: Erdinger, Murphy’s Irish Stout and Red, Duvel, Chimay, Kirin, McFarland, Carib and Desperados. In 1999, the company starts producing Fischer beer from Alsace, while in 2000 it launched the traditional, Greek beer ALFA.

Being conscious of responding to the market’s continuously increasing needs and rapid technological developments, the company sets its investment goals at 300 million Euros. For the past 10 years, it has been improving and renewing its equipment; and as a result, its industrial units are the most modern and productive in Europe. For example, the plant in Patra is one of the most updated breweries in South Europe, whereas the unit in Athens produces 75.000 cartons or 1.500.000 bottles per day.

Within the framework of Athenian Brewery’s expansion in South East Europe, the company has formed a strategic alliance with Coca Cola Hellenic Bottling Company (3E), in the acquisition of Zagorka and Pivara breweries in Bulgaria and Skopje respectively.

Apart from the locally produced and distributed brands; Heineken, Amstel, Alfa, Buckler, Fischer, Fürstenbräu, Zorbas and IOLI Natural Mineral Water, the company’s product portfolio also includes the following imported brands; Amstel Bock, Amstel Light, Carib, Chimay, Desperados, Duvel, Erdinger, König Pilsener, McFarland, Murphy’s Irish Stout and Murphy’s Irish Red and Kirin.

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