CCSI Plastic Crowncap Database - Brewer/Bottler
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 Brewer/bottler #2017 | | | | Address | 53 Avenue Syngrou |
| | | | | | | | Extra info | When the crown of the newly formed rump state of Greece was offered to the Bavarian prince Otto in 1832, a large contingent of beer-swilling German soldiers arrived with him. They were used to drinking beer and the country’s climate demanded it. Johann Fuchs, a Bavarian, started a makeshift brewery and by 1850 a full-scale plant was in progress at the suburb of Neo Irakleio. The company ‘Fix Hellas’ was established in 1864, after Otto was deposed and the Fuchses decided to stay in the mild southern climes. In 1893 a big, steam-powered factory was founded on Syngrou Avenue in Athens (today’s metro station Fix). Johann’s work was continued by his son Karl who also brought to Greece its first refrigeration plants in 1923.
Post-war mismanagement and competition with new local and foreign labels after Greece’s entry in the EU all ensured that Fix closed in 1983; it reopened for a short period without success in 1995. In 2010, though, the brand was bought by Yannis Chytos, owner of a water cooler company who had a secret passion for brewing. He marketed the company as a local David against the international Goliaths of Heineken, Budweiser and such. After all, wasn’t Fix a historic beer with a past going on for 150 years? Not only did he catch the local anti-European mood, but he also rode a wave of Greek microbrewery revolution. In February 2012, it even launched a dark beer, a novelty to lager-loving Greeks.
The result: a 12 percent market penetration in two years, a €45 million turnover and the start of an export business to 14 countries with a large Greek immigrant population such as Australia, Germany, Sweden, France, Eastern Europe and the UK. |
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