Alexandrion Group | A 9 generation history
1789
Over 200 years experience
1965
Alexandrion Group founder is born
1980
A young man's business flare
1983
Coming to Romania
1992
The businessman doctor
1994
Alexandrion brand in Romania
2000
Year of great decisions
2004
Alexander & SAB aquisition
2006
First drop of Brancoveanu vinars
2009
Year of strategic partnership
2014
Brancoveanu year
2015
Young personalities awards
2016
Three Galas of Romanian excellency
2017
Going global
2018
Expansion to USA
1789
Experience of 200 years gathered under the brand of Alexandrion Group
1789 is the year when the first page of the SAB history was written, the oldest factory of alcoholic beverages from Radauti, Bucovina. It was set up by the Austrian Catholic priests, 15 years from the annexation of Bucovina to the Austrian Empire. Therefore, for the first time, the traditional method to obtain alcoholic beverages at home was industrialized. Initially, only beer was produced here. 19 years later, the ”Pear brandy”, produced in the SAB factory, was rewarded within the International Exhibit from Paris.
After almost 80 years, the factory was sold to a new owner, who had diversified the production and started to distillate also fruits, especially forest fruits, and, therefore, he obtained cherry brandy and apricot brandy. Subsequently, the factory was seized by the communists who took the power in Romania.
In 1990, after the Revolution, the SAB factory from Rădăuți was privatized through the MEBO method (acronym from the English language for Management Employee Buyouts). It had a thousand shareholders, employees of the factory. From them, after a difficult collective negotiation, Nawaf Salameh, the current owner, bought the factory. After the purchase, the factory, which became SABER, joined the Alexandrion Group “family” and, therefore, the more than 200 years experience of SABER factory enriched the portfolio of the products of Alexandrion Group with traditional products: blue berry, cherry and apricot brandy
1965
The person who built Alexandrion Group is born.
Nawaf Salameh, the founder, president and director of Alexandrion Group, was born on September 14, 1965, in Marmarita, a locality in the North – West of Syria. He is the third son from the five sons of the Salameh family. His father, the owner of a drugstore chain, was the one who helped Nawaf develop his entrepreneurial spirit ever since he was a child, despite his dreams for the boy to pursue a career as a pharmacist. Even if the young Nawaf was dreaming of studying in Italy or the USA, his parents decided otherwise. His mother chose Romania for the peace and quiet she wanted for him to find here.
The young boy Nawaf wanted to become a movie director. Therefore he succeeded to run his business as a film set. Each new product, each purchase must have a history, must promote a vision, must transmit an emotion. Now, over the years, Nawaf Salameh considers that his dream to become a movie director came true. He is the one who directed and continues to direct the Alexandrion “movie”. Each step forward for the company represents a new scene in the movie which presents, in such a beautiful manner, the beginning, development and future of Alexandrion Romania Group.
1980
The business spirit, learnt from childhood.
Each great fulfillment is based on a moment, an experience, an instructive short story. The great fulfillments of Alexandrion Group, to a certain extent, are because of the events from the adolescence of its founder.
The teen-ager Nawaf was helping his father with the pharmacy owned by the family. His parent was making businesses in a traditional way. He was working with the same suppliers without negotiation. But the middle son had other visions and was looking for the best offers and he was supplying the pharmacy from the most advantageous suppliers. And the amounts of money he gained following negotiations were kept by his mother.
1983
Arrival in Romania
The year 1983 brought major changes for Nawaf Salameh. This is the moment when his parents decide for their son to study abroad. His mother is the one who chose Romania, a country considered by her as being hospitable and with a solid educational system. So, in 1983 Nawaf Salameh landed at the airport in Otopeni.
After an year of accommodation, during which he learned the Romanian language, Nawaf Salameh is admitted at the Faculty of Medicine of Bucharest.
1992
The businessman doctor
In 1991 Nawaf Salameh completed his medical studies, one year later than planned. He simply recognizes that the erratic life of always being “in love” made him lose one year of studies. But, finally, he succeeded to finalize the courses at the faculty. He is specialized in general medicine, but he is not convinced that this represents his true vocation and, therefore, he decides that he wants to start doing business. The statute of doctor conferred in the society in that period, helps him a lot and, step-by-step, opens a lot of doors for him.
So, in 1992, the doctor Nawas Salameh already had an office in Athens. He validated his studies and he was also a resident at the University Hospital. During this period, a businessman from Cyprus proposes him to export chocolate to Ukraine, and Nawaf Salameh invests 14,000 dollars in two auto-trucks loaded with chocolate which he sells to the Ukrainians. He returns from there with 21,000 dollars. His partner proposes him to repeat the business. Because of the fact that the manufacturer did not want to credit him, Nawaf Salameh borrowed one million dollars from the bank and started the export. In the same year he received another business proposal. A manufacturer from Crete proposed to the doctor to invest in his small factory. He produced only beverages: Alexandrion and Kreskova. Despite all efforts, the manufacturer was not able to convince him.
1994
Alexandrion arrives in Romania
Responding to the Greek producer’s persistent invitations, Nawaf Salameh visits the small factory from Crete where Alexandrion was produced, back in 1993. The small factory, of about 600 square meters, had only two employees: the one who made the proposal to Nawaf Salameh and his partner. But, even after he saw the small office, he was not convinced. However, after leaving the factory, something happened.
“It was summer and the windows of the car were open. On the road, all passers-by were greeting the owner of the factory. This moment reminded me about the place where I was born. There, across a distance of two kilometers, I was greeted and I was greeting about 50 people. Most of them relatives, uncles, aunts, and cousins. This was the moment when I decided to make businesses with the two Greek men.”
Nawaf Salameh buys with 20,000 dollars the biggest part of Alkon factory (opened in 1989) in Crete, becoming a majority shareholder, and starts to bring the products on the Romanian market. He already begins to contour his vision about the future factory which shall be subsequently set up in Pleașa locality, Brasov commune, Prahova county.
2000
The year of the great decisions – the company Alexandrion România is set up
2000 was the year of the strategic decisions. Nawaf Salamef proposes to his Greek partners to move the production to Romania. Despite their insistences for the new factory to be built in Russia, Nawaf Salameh convinces them to build it in Romania. From that moment, the Greek partners’ involvement became less significant.
The first major decision: in honor of the initial product, the company set up in Romania is named – Alexandrion – a name inspired by Alexander the Great.
Subsequently, Nawaf Salameh buys about 20 hectares of land in Pleașa locality, Brasov commune, Prahova county and starts to build here the distilleries and a large wine cellar. He also starts negotiations for the purchase of two factories which shall subsequently become a part of Alexandrion family: Alexander factory from Iasi – opened since 1990 and SAB factory from Rădăuți, Suceava – the alcohol factory which was operating since 1789.
At the same time, Nawaf Salameh develops his business strategy and starts the actions for the production of Brâncoveanu Brandy, which shall become the premium product and brand of the company.
2004
Finalization of the purchase of Alexander and SAB
After four years of negotiations, the two factories: Alexander and SAB, become part of Alexandrion. Their entire experience and history are now included within the family of the Alexandrion products.
2006
Brâncoveanu Brandy, the first drop
2006 was a year full of flavor. The flavor of Brâncoveanu Brandy, after years of maturation, was tasted for the first time within a great launching event at the Romanian Opera. The late Mircea Albulescu was one of the guests of honor at the launch and Brâncoveanu Brandy met the expectations and, in fact, exceeded them. In the following five years Brâncoveanu Brandy becomes the most appreciated product in Romania, from its category.
2009
Year of strategic partnerships
The admission of Romania to the European Union opens the business market also for the Romanian businessmen. Alexandrion does not waste time and starts to develop partnerships with the great manufacturers of alcoholic beverages in the world. The created relations bring the Alexandrion products on the great markets of the world and the products of the partners enter on the Romanian market. This is also the moment when the Greek partners finally withdraw from the Alexandrion business.
2014
Brâncoveanu Year
From the launch, until 2014, Brâncoveanu Brandy succeeded to make known in the entire world not only its flavor but also the history of one of the most important voivodes of Țara Românească.
A quarter of century of peace and cultural development represented his rule. The visions of Constantin Brâncoveanu were so vast that he allowed and financed the printing of the first ecclesiastic Christian book (Hieratikon) in the Arabic language. The sacrifice or the martyr voivode, who was killed because he did not give up on his country and Cristian belief, is a fascinating story which should be discovered by every person who appreciates a glass of Brâncoveanu Brandy.
And the story of Constantin Brâncoveanu is the one which inspired Nawaf Salemeh to approach the intellectuals and to honor them by organizing the Constantin Brâncoveanu Awards. Every year, starting with 2014, the intellectuals, plastic artists, scientists, historians, doctors and musicians are rewarded and honored at the Constantin Brâncoveanu Awards Gala.
2015
Prizes for the young values.
Since 2015, for the young values of sports, culture, arts and Romanian science, Alexandrion Group, through Alexandrion Foundation, starts to organize, annually, the Matei Brâncoveanu Awards and Alexandrion Trophies. Matei Gala is dedicated to the young artists, writers and scientists and Alexandrion Trophies to the sportsmen who, through their performances, make known the name of Romania abroad.
2016
Three galas for the values of Romania
For the first time Alexandrion Group, through the Alexandrion Foundation, organizes all three events dedicated to culture, science and sports in the same year. From here an entire series of complex and pompous events shall follow, which promote the history of Brâncoveanu and the flavor of the brandy with the same name.
2017
Alexandrion Group, at global level
Alexandrion Group’s journey to conquer the hearts of the whole world has begun with the formation of the global office in Cyprus, followed by the global office in Sao Paolo, Brazil.
2018
Preparing the expansion in the USA.
For the first time, Alexandrion Group, through Alexandrion Foundation, organizes all three events dedicated to culture, science and sports in the same year. From here an entire series of complex and pompous events shall follow, which promote the history of Brâncoveanu and the flavor of the brandy with the same name.