Athenian Brewery S.A. History

Athenian Brewery S.A. was founded by a group of Greek businessmen together with Amstel Brouwerij B.V. in 1963. In 1965, the first brewery was established in Athens, producing Amstel beer and having total capacity of 45000 Hls per year. Since 1968, Athenian Brewery is the operating company of Heineken N.V. in Greece, following the merger between Heineken and Amstel in Holland.

The second brewery opened in Thessaloniki in 1974, expanding production, whereas in 1976 Amstel became the No 1 selling beer in the Greek market, a position that it holds until today. In 1981, Athenian Brewery launched the Heineken brand in the market and the expansion continued in 1985 with the establishment of the third brewery in Patras. Athenian Brewery started the distribution of a number of imported brands in the Greek market in 1990; at the same time the production of the non-alcohol beer Buckler began.

The year 1993 represented a milestone in Athenian Brewery's history, as the production of the natural mineral water Ioli started in the new plant in Lamia, an area famous for its springs and water sources. In 1999, the company started the production of the Alsatian beer brand Fischer while, the re-launch of Alfa beer, a traditional Greek beer brand, followed in 2000, enlarging the company's portfolio. In 2001 Athenian Brewery, through the Heineken brand, became a Grand Sponsor of the Olympic Games to be held in Athens in 2004. Athenian Brewery exporting activities started with Marathon and Athenian brands and continues until now with exports of its products in more 15 countries around the world. The company is certified with the ISO 9002 Quality Certificate (since 1994) and the ISO 14001 Environmental Certificate (since 1999).

Athenian Brewery has set, since the company's outset, as a major and constant aim, to treat customers with all the respect that is due to them, giving immediate priority to their needs, while at the same time the quality of the company's products remains a corner stone of the way it has functioned since it first appeared on the Greek market.

Moreover, the company invests considerably (300million Euros over the last 10 years) in the improvement and renewal of its equipment, in response to the increasing production needs and the swift pace of technological developments, so that its plants are considered among the most modern and productive in Europe. At the same time the company takes a very great interest in the preservation of natural resources and all kind of waste materials, thanks to the operation of modern biological purification units.

Athenian Brewery includes, in its sphere of action, the South Eastern European countries (Bulgaria, F.Y.R.O.M. and Albania). Within the framework of development in the Balkan geographic region, Athenian Brewery S.A. has made a strategic alliance with the Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company S.A. and acquired the breweries of Zagorka and Ariana in Bulgaria and Pivara Skopje in F.Y.R.O.M.

Last but certainly not least, it must be noted that what contributed the most to the company's successful course over the years is none other than its own people, its personnel, who have always demonstrated their creativity and enthusiasm with commitment to the company’s aim for delivering the highest quality of products and services to its partners. Their contribution to the company’s performance is essential by all means.