Businessman Photos Photiades, better known for starting the first Carlsberg brewery outside Denmark in 1969, died on Friday, aged 98.
The patriarchal head of the Ph. Photiades Group started his professional career as a teacher but submitted to his entrepreneurial spirit to embark on his first retail and distribution business in 1942, aged 22.
Over the years, and as Cyprus, too, evolved from a colony to an independent Republic, Photiades gradually built up a network of companies that presently include drinks bottling and distribution, property development and insurance.
Unable to get a license to start a brewery in Cyprus, due to a society where the Church played a dominant role and owned the biggest beermaker on the island, Photiades eventually bought out M. Chr. Platanis & Co. in 1962, brewers of the now-popular “local” label, Leon.
Five years later, he secured the first international license to brew and distribute Carlsberg beer outside Denmark and the production line eventually started rolling in 1966, an achievement that is highly regarded till today even in Copenhagen.
Since then, and despite the ups and downs that Cyprus has gone through, Carlsberg gradually built up a market share with the green bottle accounting for nearly half of all beer sales on the island in the past decades.
The company also invested in water bottling, initially using the source and brand of Moutoullas, which later moved to the other side of the Troodos mountains to become the Agros brand, again a dominant force in the retail market.
Subsequently, with the involvement of his children, the company grew to include the Ena brand of fruit drinks and juices, ventured into wholesale with Photos Photiades Distributors representing major spirits brands.
Photos Photiades, an avid supporter of the arts and culture, dedicated to promoting the literary works of native author Costas Montis, also set up the first natural history museum within the brewery grounds in Latsia and for many years was the pioneer sponsor of the Miss Cyprus (later Star Cyprus) beauty pageant, while other family ventures include property development and a significant stake in the Universal Life insurance company.
