Eckes-Granini Group


The Eckes-Granini Group GmbH is an international corporate group based in Nieder-Olm in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The Group, which employs around 1719 people, is specialized in the production and sale of non-alcoholic fruit beverages and operates under the umbrella of Eckes AG. Among its best-known fruit-juice brands in the German-speaking region are hohes C, granini and YO. The Eckes-Granini Group sold roughly 853 million litres of beverages with a sales revenue of roughly 921 Million Euro in business year 2019.

Brands & products

The Eckes-Granini Group GmbH is represented throughout Europe with a broad selection of fruit juices, fruit-juice drinks, fruit syrups, smoothies and fruit-based refreshment beverages in both the retail food and beverage trade and the out-of-home market. The product portfolio includes the international "premium brands" granini and Pago as well as strategic regional brands, such as hohes C in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Hungary, Joker in France, God Morgon, Brämhults and Rynkeby in the Nordic countries, Marli in Finland, SIÓ in Hungary and Elmenhorster in Lithuania.

History

According to sources within the organization, the history of the Eckes-Granini Group began in Nieder-Olm in the Rhineland-Palatinate, where the farmer and haulier laid the cornerstone for the business in 1857 by founding a distillery for wine by-products. As the spirits business grew step-by-step, the company began producing and marketing fruit juices in the 1920s. hohes C, which according to the Eckes-Granini Group GmbH was the first ready-to-drink orange juice in bottles, was introduced in 1958.
Following the opening of the borders to Eastern Europe in the early 1990s, the Eckes-Granini Group GmbH adopted an international expansion strategy – beginning with the acquisition of SIÓ-Eckes in 1993. After acquiring 74 per cent interest in the Melitta Group one year later, the Group took over the company entirely in 2006.
After withdrawing from the spirits business completely in 2007, Eckes-Granini went on to form new partnerships and acquire additional subsidiaries. Rynkeby Food A/S was added to the fold in 2016, and the Eckes-Granini Group GmbH purchased shares in the smoothie producer true fruits in mid-2018.

International expansion

As documented in its Annual Report, Eckes-Granini Group GmbH has been pursuing "a consistent international expansion course" since 1993. The Group currently operates through subsidiaries and strategic partnerships in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Romania and Bulgaria as well as the Czech and Slovak Republics, Hungary, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Sales revenue

The Eckes-Granini Group GmbH recorded approximately 921 million euros in sales revenue in Business Year 2019. Eckes-Granini Group GmbH is the largest business enterprise specialized in the production of fruit juices in Europe.