Issue 6 2019

8 Acquisition International - Issue 6 2019 Alexandrion Group have over 200 years of experience in making alcoholic beverages by acquiring the SABER and Alexander brands. Recently, the company found success in AI’s Business Excellence Awards 2019 where they were selected as the Best Spirits Producer 2019 – Europe. On the back of this win, we profile Alexandrion Group and caught up with the Founder and Chairman, Mr Nawaf Salameh who provided us with a detailed overview of the award-winning firm. ating back to 1789, Alexandrion Group is a combination of history, tradition, experience and passion. As a spirits and wines producer and brand creator, Alexandrion Group owns one of the biggest production facilities in South East Europe, The Alexandrion Distillery, as well as vineyards and a wine production plant in Romania. Currently, the firm has offices and subsidiaries in Romania, USA, Cyprus, UK, Greece and Brazil. In addition to this, the group is also active in tourism, construction materials, real estate and agriculture. Together, Alexandrion Distilleries and SABER 1789 Distilleries embody a history of over 200 years in the local spirits industry, creating some of the strongest and leading brands in Romania. Mr Salameh begins by going into further detail about the areas the firm specialises in, as well as highlighting how Alexandrion Group finds success in such a dynamic and competitive industry. “Here at Alexandrion Group, our broad portfolio includes brands from every spirit category plus traditional Romanian spirits, recognized for their quality and sophistication both domestically and internationally. Alongside this, our brands are produced with our own authentic recipes, using only the best ingredients while always respecting the tradition and our dedicated passion for spirits. Starting in 2018, our Group expanded its activities through the acquisition of a winery in Romania, complementing our offer with still and sparkling wines. “Our vision is to ‘To share special moments with our consumers’, inspired by our passion and guided by our experience, we promise to deliver exciting brands to our consumers. In addition to this, our people’s commitment is to drive our expansion forward allowing us to fulfil our promise around the globe. Yet, always governed by our values that define us in everything we do.” Alexandrion Group’s distillery is located in the Dealu Mare (‘Big Hill’) Area, Prahova County, Romania. It uses state-of-the-art technology and processes that ensures the highest quality and is ISO and IFS certified. Following a highly flexible logistics operation model, capable of handling a complex product portfolio, it is considered to be one of the most modern and efficient distilleries in South East Europe. Alexandrion distillery covers an area of 20,000 sq. meters where the distillery, bottling and packaging, underground cellars and warehousing facilities are situated, as Mr Salameh explains. “With our philosophy of constant technological advancement and acquisition of new production equipment, we continuously upgrade our capacity to meet the growing demand in both local and international markets. Distillation is carefully carried out after extracting the volatile Blended To Perfection D substances from wine that enrich the ethylic alcohol from the raw wine distillate. In addition to this, a large investment was made to purchase high-tech automated equipment for processing, distilling and fermenting natural fruits and fruit distillates, which are used for producing the nest traditional Romanian premium spirits.” Looking ahead to what the future holds, the team at Alexandrion Group hope to build upon their accomplishments which has seen them receive countless accolades over the years, including their most recent win in Acquisition Intl.’s Business Excellence Awards 2019 where they were righteously awarded the accolade Best Spirits Producer 2019 – Europe. Bringing the interview to a close, Mr Salameh signs off by revealing the exciting plans which lie in the pipeline for the firm, which includes further expanding the business. “Alexandrion Group is building its first U.S. distillery in the town of Carmel, Mid-Hudson Region, Putnam County, New York. The new construction will include a 12,000 square meter distillery, visitor centre and tasting rooms and is scheduled to be completed during 2020. The new distillery will produce premium spirits tailored to the U.S. market, such as whiskey, bourbon, gin, brandy and vodka, and will export these new products to the 50 countries that Alexandrion Group supplies around the world.” Web Address: www.alexandriongroup.com “Starting in 2018, our Group expanded its activities through the acquisition of a winery in Romania, complementing our offer with still and sparkling wines.” May19115