History

Pantocratoros & Ilias. From the old city of Patras, to 16 countries throughout the world. We started on Pantocratoros street. It seems to have been fate!

It all started in the early 1950s. When at the junction of Pantocratoros and Ilias streets, behind the historical temple that still exists today in the old city of Patras, Panagiotis Marlafekas founded “LOUX”, a small family business initially producing orange drink, lemonade and soda water.
The manufacturing processes were naturally primitive: “Bottling took place by hand, bottle capping by hand.” And with corresponding, for that time, distribution took place, "by cart."
At the time, in the Achaean capital another 11 similar sized competing companies operated. The only way to distinguish one was to choose the best materials, combine it with their love of making their product to create unique recipes, hoping to be favoured by the Patras consumers. The combination of superior quality and distinctive flavour worked. Soon, “LOUX” orange drink, lemonades and soda water became amongst the favourite drinks of the Patras consumers.
Year after year LOUX continued to steadily rise.

In the early 1970’s, “LOUX” was now 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.

“LOUX”  A short story for a historical name

While setting up his small industry, Panagiotis Marlafekas, had approached a talented local song composer to give him a list of possible names for the new business. Among the ten proposed, “LOUX” was on the list.
It is the era in post war Greece when the word “LOUX” became synonymous for luxury, special care and superior quality. This is the major reason it was chosen for these newly established soft drinks.

1972, Kefalovrisso.
LOUX finds its “natural” home.

Kefalovrisso is a small paradise, an area of lush greenery, full of old growth trees, reminiscent of the promised land. However, at the time it was far from Patras and the daily distribution points, it was located in “the middle of nowhere” and, above all, lacked basic infrastructure! There was no phone and there was not even any electricity!
It hides, though, underground a real treasure, the water of highest quality of Kefalovrissos! (light water , rich in minerals and rare natural value.) This was the basic criterion of Panagiotis Marlafekas for the selection of relocation: “quality at any cost”. Despite the emerging difficulties, the founder of LOUX chooses to utilize a unique opportunity for total quality improvement of the LOUX beverages. The subsequent course of the business has proved that the choice was correct.
Since then, LOUX products stand out from any other beverage in Greece and worldwide. They are the only ones prepared with water from Kefalovrissos. Something that is proudly inscribed in every LOUX package.