Traditional ouzo maker joins rival
Historic ouzo brand «Sans Rival» is passing into the hands of Nikos Kaloyiannis, Kathimerini has learned. This development means that the beverage-distilling plant of Elliniki Potopiia Thomopoulou & Sons will be grinding to a halt. The 15,000-square-meter installation was where the Sans Rival and other brands had been produced to date. Christos Thomopoulos, the son of the founder of the company that has produced Sans Rival since 1905, and Nikos Kaloyiannis, known for the production of Ouzo 12 and Ouzo Plomariou Isidorou Arvanitou, have agreed to form a new company under the name «Potopiia Christou Thomopoulou,» in which Kaloyiannis will have a majority stake. It will continue to carry all the brands of the Thomopoulos distillery. The financial terms of the agreement have not yet been made known. The new company will produce and distribute Sans Rival, one of the most popular Greek brands in this country and abroad. Thomopoulos, who will retain a minority stake in the firm, has undertaken the quality control of the products to take place either in Kifissia, northern Athens, or at Plomari on the island of Lesvos. Kaloyiannis was the creator of the Ouzo 12 brand, which now belongs to the Amvyx and Campari companies, as well as of the Ouzo Plomariou Isidorou Arvanitou, which is the No 1 brand in Greece and has been recording rapid growth on the German market.
