founded 1927 headquarters limassol cyprus area served cyprus key people kostas koutsou ceo products beverages revenue 62 969 439 2004 number of employees 420 subsidiaries etien wines spirits & tobacco ltd keo uk ltd sun island canning ltd distilling ltd slogan be happy and drink well website http www.keogroup.com keo plc greek the greek abbreviation for cyprus wine company is a european beverage company based on the island of cyprus . it was formed in 1927 and it represents one of the largest industrial employers on the island with more than 90 brands in its portfolio . its shares are traded on the cyprus stock exchange . 1 2 contents 1 history 2 divisions 3 wine production 4 keo beer 5 juice production 6 sponsorship 7 controversy 8 references history edit keo is public limited company was formed in 1927 . it is a member of the hellenic mining group whose varied interests in mining cement production consumer goods and banking make it the largest industrial group in cyprus . 3 reflecting its name it started off as a company producing wine in the limassol district . in 1951 it ventured into beer production by importing expertise from czechoslovakia . its product range has since expanded to include dessert wines e.g. commandaria bottled water brandy spirits including zivania juices and canned food . such is keo s presence on the island that they have become a household name both with locals and the millions of annual tourists . the company is also an active participant at the annual limassol wine festival . keo s growth and its rise to the eminent position as the island s leading wine making and brewing company was attributed to the high quality and strong household brand names . the company till today markets a wide variety of alcoholic and non alcoholic products locally and in over thirty countries worldwide . following cyprus accession to the european union in 2004 keo expanded its operations on continental europe . its shares are listed on the cyprus stock exchange . 4 keo delivery truck divisions edit keo operates six trading divisions that include beer wines spirits water juices & soft drinks canned food its portfolio comprises both local and international brands . wine production edit keo operates four different wineries across four different vineyards situated at an altitude of approximately 1 000 meters above sea level . topographic map of cyprus . troodos mountains krasochoria region of the troodos mountains range vineyards malia vineyards mainly planted with cabernet sauvignon cabernet franc lefkada chardonnay and riesling pera pedi vineyards arsos laona vineyards its wineries are among the first to be built on the island . all four wineries are in close proximity to the vineyards where research is carried out in an effort to increase and safeguard the varieties of grapes selecting those that will yield the best quality of wine when grown under the local climate . keo has historically experimented with varieties and cultivation methods whilst it has invested a great deal of resources into rediscovering cyprus indigenous grape varieties of mavro and xynisteri many of which date back to the classical times a period when the cypriot wine reflected the island s heritage . 5 keo beer edit main article keo beer production of keo beer a pilsner type lager beer started early in 1951 . the original brewery had a small production capacity of about 300 000 gallons annually . in order to meet the ever increasing demand the company has carried out substantial extensions to the plant and the equipment now being the most up to date machinery in the brewing industry . the brewery is currently capable of producing over 30 000 hectoliters of beer monthly . 6 keo beer was awarded a gold medal by the brewing industry international awards . 7 in 2015 keo light won best new product award from the in business magazine . the winners were chosen by public voting and a special committee . 8 9 keo delivery city car in limassol cyprus . juice production edit sws and sun island are among the island s leading fruit juice producers . their range of products and activities extends from fruit juices to canned fruit and vegetable . similar with keo wineries the two companies cultivate their own citrus plantations in addition to absorbing a great amount of local fruits produced . sponsorship edit in 2016 keo beer announced the sponsorship of the cyprus national football team . keo will support the team throughout its efforts in the qualifying stages of the world cup 2018 . keo s collaboration with the cyprus football association aims to strengthen and unify the fans of the sport and all those honoring the island state internationally . 10 controversy edit in 2010 the appearance of keo beer in an america pornographic film sparked strong reactions by the largest shareholders 20 % the orthodox church of cyprus . 11 references edit keo company keo plc cr bloomberg hellenic mining company limited keo profile keo vines & wines difford s guide keo group keo beer cypriot lager in business awards 2015 in business awards 2015 the winners cyprus national football team church backed beer in porn sparks fury retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title keo company & oldid 739212759 categories companies established in 1927companies of cypruswine companiesdrink companieshidden categories articles containing greek language text navigation menu personal tools not logged intalkcontributionscreate accountlog in namespaces article talk variants views read edit view history more search navigation main pagecontentsfeatured contentcurrent eventsrandom articledonate to wikipediawikipedia store interaction helpabout wikipediacommunity portalrecent changescontact page tools what links hererelated changesupload filespecial pagespermanent linkpage informationwikidata itemcite this page print export create a bookdownload as pdfprintable version languages deutsch edit links this page was last modified on 13 september 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