LOUX is Greece’s largest 100% Greek-owned soft drink and juice company, which launched in 1950 and has since then become the number one Greek brand in the beverage market, doubling its sales in the past decade as well as entering the international market, now being sold in over 24 countries worldwide.
Greece’ much-loved beverage brand is also third in sales, following two international brands, highlighting the company’s strength despite the country’s financial hardship.
It all started in the early 1950s in Patras, when Panagiotis Marlafekas founded LOUX, a small family business initially producing orange juice, lemonade, and soda water.
The manufacturing processes were naturally primitive: “Bottling took place by hand, bottle capping by hand.” At the time, in the Achaean capital, another 11 similar sized competing companies operated. The only way to distinguish one from the other was to choose the best ingredients, combine it with a love of making the product to create unique recipes, hoping to be favoured by the consumers. The combination of superior quality and distinctive flavour worked and soon enough LOUX orange juice, lemonades, and soda water became amongst the favourite drinks amongst the Patras consumers.
In the early 1970s LOUX was employing 10 people, while production was close to 100 boxes a day! However, the small unit of Pantocratoros street could no longer meet the needs that had arisen in the market. This fact, along with the arrival of multinational companies in Greece in 1967, made it imperative to relocate the business to another space. The goal was that the new unit had greater capacity, and advanced technologies, in response to the growing competition.
It was in 1972 when Panagiotis Marlafekas decided to move the plant to privately owned, larger and more modernized facilities. A new modern factory was completed and began operations in Kefalovriso, a region famous for its pure natural spring water. Loux decided to utilise this high-quality water, adding a particularly refreshing element to its soft drinks, and a new era began.
Today, LOUX is the largest purely Greek owned company of soft drinks and just second in the category ‘all flavours’. In addition, it is the only Hellenic refreshment company with a fully integrated production process, guaranteeing optimum and effective quality control.
LOUX products are now also available worldwide and to date, exports reach 5% of annual turnover, with significant sales in Germany, Canada, USA, Italy, Australia, Cyprus, New Zealand, England, Scotland, Scotland, Israel, Malta, Panama, Romania, Korea, Albania, Dubai, Belgium, Netherlands, Taiwan, China, Albania, Serbia and South Africa.
The company is displaying an interest in the market of the wider region of the Middle East, as well as Northern and Central Europe.
Loux has won the market with a complete range of soft drinks and juices, distinguished for their quality and authentic recipes. The company’s priority has been the choice of natural ingredients of superior quality, of Greek production, which is reflected in a distinctive flavor and an increasingly higher consumer preference.
The Achaia-based company now operates three privately-owned, state-of-the-art production facilities in the Peloponnese, and a new logistics center in Attica.
In 2017, LOUX posted revenues exceeding 33 million euros (5% annual increase) and a 30% profitability increase compared to 2016. With innovation and high quality at the heart of its activities, this leading company has redefined the Greek soft drinks market, going from strength to strength.
