Family Spirit: How AktYs Consulting is championing the greatness of Greece

INTERNATIONAL. In a travel retail world increasingly dominated by corporate multi-nationals, The Moodie Report is delighted to announce a new series called Family Spirit – profiling family-owned companies that have survived and flourished

In the October issue of The Moodie Report Print Edition, out later today, we meet three such players: German drinks company (and new Danzka vodka owner) Behn Group; AktYs Consulting, which is championing the virtues of Greek products on the international stage; and, from Taiwan, the remarkable Alan Lee of Satolas and St. Doras Enterprises, one of the world’s leading inflight players.

As an online preview, here our Rhodes-based correspondent Colleen Morgan goes to Crete to discover the stirring tale of Athens-based AktYs Consulting, a small company on a big mission – to bring Hellenic products to the forefront of travel retail.

Alkis (left) and Artemis Couroupakis plan to bring the best of Greece to international travel retail

Do not, I implore you, forget my country”.
-Odysseus Elytis (the second and last Greek poet honoured with the Nobel Prize for Literature)

AktYs (meaning “˜ray of light’) wants Greek brands, especially those relating to the Mediterranean diet, recognised and embraced internationally. The company is owned by sister and brother Artemis and Alkis Couroupaki. Artemis is a respected figure in the travel retail industry, having held senior positions with Folli Follie and Links of London, before assuming her current role as APAC New Business Development Manager for Clogau, where she has paved the way for the Welsh gold jewellery company’s thrust into Asia.

The ebullient Artemis is known for her passion and work ethic, qualities that find expression in AktYs Consulting, an enterprise intent on showcasing the best of Greece. Brother Alkis is more quietly spoken but is equally passionate about the challenge.

I joined Artemis and Alkis in Chania, an enchanting town on the island of Crete, their parent’s birthplace and a centre of Greece’s efforts to have fine local products recognised internationally.

Artemis has an intriguing background. A talented businesswoman fluent in Greek, English, French, German, Japanese and even sign language, with an MBA in Global Management, her CV includes spells as a translator for the Greek Ministry of Defence; worldwide Distribution and Operations Manager of the Efsimon range of silver and gold coins for the 2004 Olympic Games; and communications facilitator for a Japanese TV channel during the Olympics.

Alkis is constantly sourcing wineries with unique stories to tell, lesser-known labels which he believes should rank among the world’s top wines

In June 2011 she founded AktYs, then a month later established a new brand called Poême bébé de luxe, dedicated to luxury baby clothes. She assumed her current role at Clogau in November the same year.

That’s an impressive track record but Artemis, like Alkis, is unassuming, engaging and down to earth. Their conversation is peppered with words such as honesty, trust and values.

Theirs, they assure me, is a “hands on” consultancy; they “become attached” to their clients and to their products. The duo’s determination and passion fires their speech, their eyes dancing with enthusiasm as they describe their mission to promote good Hellenic products.

As proud Greeks, love of their country and its products underpins their conversation and will play a major role in their plans for AktYs’ development. “We want to showcase Greek products that are part of the Mediterranean diet,” explains Alkis. “We aim to assist entrepreneurs or innovators to bring new, meaningful products into the market.

“We want to bring to travel retail not just gourmet products but basic, pure products,” adds Artemis. “AktYs is not looking to represent mass-produced brands; we are looking for something that has real essence. That is our quest – to find producers, represent them, and ensure they get onto the international market. It is vital for Greece to be represented abroad.”

That’s easier said than done. Apart from Metaxa, Folli Follie and various ouzo brands, few Greek brands have enjoyed any widespread success beyond their regional boundaries. How can AktYs change that?

Artemis replies: “Our plan is based on two proposals: the premium gift market where, for example, we have already placed Miterra, our extra virgin olive oil brand [Miterra was listed on Cathay Pacific’s home delivery service in July-September]; and more affordable products.

“Miterra is our flagship product. Its packaging, design and branding are geared for the premium market, and it is successful. At the other end of the scale we have alternative brands of olive oil, which are less expensive but still pure and essential products.”

“Miterra is our flagship product. Its packaging, design and branding are geared for the premium market, and it is successful”

Alkis cites statistics from the Greek Embassy in Hong Kong which lists olive oil, honey, wine, saffron, herbs and canned fruits heading a list of most wanted products from Greece.

“At a premium level we have Tears of the Gods honey, again packaged and presented for that level of market. But we have other amazing products: honey with mastic, with orange or hazlenut, and pure Greek thyme honey. All are exceptional. They are products that tick all the boxes for travel retail,” Artemis notes.

Other little-known Hellenic products represented by AktYs include Mastiqua, a sparkling water scented with mastic

Alkis is an oenologist with a particular love of Greek wines and who is constantly sourcing wineries with unique stories to tell, lesser-known labels which he believes should rank among the world’s top wines.

During my visit he introduced me to three of his preferences: Alexandra from the Claudia Papayianni Domaine; the superb Mantinia from the Tselepos Estate; and the award-winning Driopi Reserve from the Tselepos vineyard in Nemea.

He also offers BiancoNero, a pink sparkling Moscato, geared to a younger market, from the Tsililis estate near Trikala on mainland Greece.

Other little-known Hellenic products represented by AktYs include Mastiqua, a sparkling water scented with mastic; Beenegar balsamic honey vinegar; tri-color Tagliolini with spinach, saffron and tomato from Ta Mylelia on the island of Lesbos; and the Liokarpi biological extra virgin olive oil from the olive groves of Phaistos on Crete.

“These products are all examples of the uniqueness of Greece, pure, healthy, without preservatives. They deserve to be on tables all over the world,” Alkis affirms.

The importance of integrity

How would the family members describe their philosophy? What sets this new company apart?
Artemis replies: “We operate with integrity and confidentiality, making our clients’ success a personal matter. Our reputation of bringing clean bottom-line results and long-term profits is our uncompromised asset that we safeguard and take pride in.

“In whatever we do, we set the ground rules so we can focus on making businesses successful and competitive with long-term profits. We offer a range of outsourcing solutions, maximising a company’s flexibility and internal efficiencies, in general management areas such as strategy, branding, digital media and business development.

“We genuinely want to bring meaningful things, good Greek products that deserve to be known about internationally, into the market. So we are looking for start-up brands, small and medium-sized companies, that don’t have the expertise to get into a wider market.

“Our involvement is hands on. For example, dealing with honey, we want to see where the honey comes from; understand the people behind the brands; and know that those suppliers and distributors are using the very same products that we are promoting.”

Orange Blossom Honey – just one of the products Aktys believes “ticks all the boxes for travel retail”

Artemis has been much influenced by her time in travel retail, noting: “I have worked for a long time within the travel retail industry. I’ve been fortunate, blessed you could say, to meet some amazing people along the way.”

She describes Johnnie Voutsas, Folli Follie Group Vice President – International, as her mentor. He along with Mary Kwok, formerly Folli Follie Brand Director, and others form a network of friends, associates, colleagues and contacts who are “behind us, ready and willing to help us. I am extremely fortunate. I only need to ask for advice and it is there.

“Travel retail is a world on its own,” she adds. “What makes it amazing is the high degree of collaboration among brands, operators, airlines, cruise liners and airports. It’s demanding and fast moving; you have to be good to keep up and you can never be complacent.”

Alkis cites Artemis’ past successes through Folli Follie and Links of London and now with Clogau to indicate how AktYs can make its mark on travel retail. “Aktys has a good knowledge of the market, its sensitivities, its strengths and its weaknesses. We can offer a helping hand; protect our customers in a world that can be difficult. Large airports and their operators can be off-putting.”

Artemis describes her dealings with travel retailer CTC-ARI on Cyprus to secure Clogau’s presence at Larnaka and Paphos airports. “At first I was out of my comfort zone, but I worked with amazing people and just made the most of my knowledge, my contacts, used my own approach to things. They liked me there, trusted my honest approach and my efforts paid off.

“That’s how it works for us. It’s often a chain of good energy that attracts the right kind of people. Of course it doesn’t work all the time but if it starts it’s like an avalanche. I just need to make it roll!.”

Tapping into the skills of past generations

The company’s in-house Poême bébé de luxe is “a family brand, the keeper of a hand-embroidery tradition that dates back three generations,” says Artemis. “Our mother Elpida worked for many years sewing and hand embroidering christening clothes for shops and businesses in Greece, with a prestigious clientele of artists and MPs. Alkis and I grew up helping her put the finishing touches to clothing that were literally works of art.”

Poême is a niche luxury brand of hand-made, couture baby clothes. “In times when traditional crafts, such as hand-worked needlework, are affected by mass production, and uniqueness is so often suppressed, Poême is proving that a market for something special, something rare, exists,” says Artemis. “With Poême, AktYs wants to address the market that still appreciates rare, quality, limited editions with a “˜nostalgic grandmother’s’ touch.

“You could call it my case study, my playground. We had in our mother’s handiwork the perfect merchandise; in developing Poême I used all I have learnt over the years – we created a new brand, a name, the whole concept of design, the website and a retail outlet.”

The name Poême is the French equivalent of poem and derives from the ancient Hellenic verb poien (ποιειν) which means to create. Poême “˜s luxury creations and hand embroidered garments use fine silks, French and Belgian laces and cottons. “We describe it as a world of hand-woven poems,” Artemis says.

Poême made its debut in the Asian market in 2012 through an exclusive collaboration with Cathay Pacific where it was featured in the Hong Kong carrier’s inflight pop-up shop through the Discover the Shop inflight magazine.

Crisis, what crisis?

Given his business and finance background, Alkis has an interesting take on Greece’s economic crisis.

“It could, in a way, be one of the best things that has happened to the country,” he says. “Here we are experiencing a transition phase from consumer-induced recession to tax-induced recession, meaning that after years of manipulated consumerism and improper use of public funds, the majority of people have no disposable income due to the accumulated debt.

“On the other hand, the government, in order to balance the budget deficit, applies taxes which are no longer used for redistribution, social policy or public investments, so extra deduction of income refuels the recession.

“It’s like being in a ship that can’t reach the shore or enter a harbour. The passengers’ wish to get to shore will get them to the lifeboats. So I believe the crisis will stimulate innovation; it will purge the market and enhance Hellenic extroversion.”

But considering Greece’s parlous economic state, is it a good time to be trying to promote its products?

“Absolutely,” he replies. “The economic crisis has brought about some very positive effects for Greece. It has brought out the innovators and extroverts. Exports are increasing and small and medium-sized companies are working harder to get their brands known.”

Greece, he believes, has untapped resources as far as travel retail is concerned. “In travel retail I feel there are comparatively few Greek products. Sure, they are available at Greek airports but they are connected to a destination rather than being promoted for what they are; fine basic examples of the Mediterranean diet whose benefits are well known.

“Greece has some amazing wines, top extra virgin olive oil, a range of honey and honey-based products that could be world leaders. The products just aren’t known internationally. These basic Greek treasures aren’t promoted as essential, healthy products that can be part of any market.

“Take Japan and China, for example. Many Asians are simply not aware of the benefits of these products, nor do they have any idea of the range of products that are available.”

Artemis adds: “As AktYs, we can educate, promote the goodness of the Hellenic products, the benefits of using olive oil and honey. Olive oil is the fundamental ingredient of the Mediterranean diet and acknowledged by numerous scientific researches for its beneficial effects on human health. Greece is ranked third according to level of volume production but first concerning the amount of extra virgin olive oil produced. Our homeland, Crete, contributes 40% of the total Greek olive oil.”

What other products would they like to see go worldwide?

“Ah wine, of course!” replies Alkys. “But the Greek wine issue generates mixed emotions for me. I always remember having a great time attending family gatherings, enjoying the friendly debate among relatives over the wine chosen to accompany our meal. Wine was the talk of the day. Nowadays I find it difficult to compromise the idea that Greek wine is struggling to win recognition despite the fact that ancient Greeks where the first to cultivate vines.

“At AktYs we consider the promotion of Greek wine a great challenge. Our philosophy is to single out the Greek wine as an entity, emphasising not only Assyrtiko and Xinomavro [grapes], which are unarguably dynamic and versatile and win all the laurels at the moment. There are also some 300 grape varieties, several of which have been cultivated since the ancient era, among which there are gems that shine.

“For instance Malagousia, an exquisite aromatic grape, is a high quality ambassador. It is captivating, seductive, a surprise.”

Alkis classes its winemaker Claudia Papayianni as “the perfectionist Greek wine lady” and also acclaims the wines of Yiannis Tselepos, “mentor and pioneer oenologist”, whose much-esteemed Amalia Brut (named after his wife) is another of Alkis’ favourites.

“Yiannis Tselepos purchased a 50-year-old vineyard located at Koutsi, Nemea at an altitude of 380 metres, aiming to find perfect climate conditions and location for an elegant red wine from the Agiorgitiko variety. Nemea Driopi and Driopi Reserve are, in my mind, the absolute vindication of passionate effort.”

Alkis highlights other wines, including the Santorini Vinsanto by the Gavala traditional winery, and the multi-awarded Syrah collection from the Mountrichas family-owned boutique Avantis Winery.

“The project Wines of Greece has given me the opportunity to travel across the country searching for hidden treasures. I’m realising that education combined with modern technology is more than significant, but personal zeal sometimes produces miracles.”

Royal jelly, propolis honey comes next on Alkis’s list of “˜must-have’ products for travel retail. His enthusiasm for fine wines is matched by Dimitris Selianakis’ passion for apiculture. Dimitris is AktYs’ “˜bee man’, and has selected regions all over Greece with ideal microclimate conditions to ensure the finest honey extraction.

His Apipharm honey and bee products range from the beautifully named Tears of the Gods series and includes bear berry honey; chestnut honey; thyme honey, herbs and coniferous trees honey; Greek wild-flower honey; fir of vytina honey; fir honey vanilla, orange blossom honey; pine honey; mastic honey and hazel honey spread; and premium Hellenic thyme honey.

“AktYs means ray of light in Greek and that’s important, to maintain a ray of light, to nurture hope and to shine in whatever we are doing”

“With Dimitris we have developed a range of travel retail exclusive honey blends with essential oils of orange, vanilla, lavender and mastic,” says Artemis. “Just consider the honey with mastic. It is produced here; it has a history [centuries ago mastic was used as a trading currency -Ed]; it’s natural, pure and has digestive properties. It is the essence of Greece.” So how do they define and how would they promote the essence of Greece?

“Greece is like a big painting that consists of sun, sea, island scenery,” Alkis replies. “Picturesque villages, traditional landscapes, mountainous areas, breathtaking cliffs, olive groves; and, let’s not forget, vineyards. Add to that culture, civilisation, history, traditions, regional heritage and traditional cuisine”¦ and the Greeks themselves.

“It may sound a rather vague and abstract concept but I believe there is echo and impact here. The closeness of families; the significance of companionship; the enthusiasm of team spirit; the compassion and empathy of a friend; Greece’s trustfulness among people; tight family relationships; its child-friendly protected environment – all pieces of a puzzle under the Mediterranean sun. I would promote it through its people and their everyday life.

“Despite its problems Greece still smiles. If you think about it, when you smile your lips form a small boat; I think we Greeks are sailing towards the future with a smile.”

NOTE: AktYs Consulting can be reached at alkouroupakis@aktysconsulting.com

The boutique organic winery of Claudia Papayianni – AktYs’s “perfectionist Greek wine lady” – in Arnea village, Halkidiki, northern Greece