Our History

The haulage contractor, farmer and innkeeper Peter Eckes operates a small fruit and wine distillery in Nieder-Olm. His business will lay the cornerstone for the Eckes beverage company.

Eckes launches the production and marketing of fruit juice (Eckes Grape Juice) as a second pillar alongside its spirits business under the “Eckes” brand name beginning in 1936. This establishes the foundation for more than 70 years of parallel fruit-beverage and spirits marketing by Eckes.

The first ready-to-drink orange juice in bottles is introduced in 1958: hohes C. Thanks to its outstanding quality and its role as a source of vitamin C for the whole family, hohes C is an immediate hit. hohes C remains a classic among branded juices and the unchallenged market leader in the fruit-juice segment in Germany to this day.

The Beverage Research Institute (Institut für Getränkeforschung) is founded in 1959 as a research and development centre. The Institute is also tasked with ensuring continuous quality control of fruit juice and fruit beverages. Institute Director Prof. Dr. Julius Koch becomes the Eckes “trademark” for fruit-juice quality and innovation in the fruit beverage segment.

Association of Fruit Juice Producers

Eckes joins other fruit-juice producers to found the Association of Fruit Juice Producers (Schutzgemeinschaft der Fruchtsaft-Industrie, SGF) in 1974.

As an institution devoted to voluntary self-regulation within the industry, the SGF is dedicated to ensuring the authenticity and quality of fruit juice and fruit beverages. The organization operates world-wide today and its control system covers all phases of the production and marketing process – from fruit cultivation in the countries of origin to the finished fruit beverage on the shelves of retail food stores.

Dr. Koch’s Trink 10 revolutionizes the fruit beverage market

Dr. Koch’s Trink 10 is introduced to the retail food trade as the first multivitamin juice in 1979. With this pioneering innovation, Eckes establishes a new segment in the fruit-beverage market – and one that remains as important as ever for juice producers today.

Eckes becomes a public limited company

Eckes becomes a public limited company (AG) in 1991. The Peter Eckes KG is reconstituted as a joint-stock corporation in which the families retain control of all shares.

granini joins the Eckes family

Eckes acquires the granini company from the Melitta Group in 1994 and proceeds to integrate it into its own fruit-beverage business. Eckes holds 74% interest in the newly founded Eckes-Granini GmbH & Co. KG, Melitta the remaining 26%. With granini, Eckes now has its first brand with a broad international presence.

The Bröl plant earns its first eco-audit certification

Eckes’ plant in Bröl, Germany, is the first facility in the fruit-juice industry to earn certification under the European Eco-Management and Audit Scheme. Eckes receives an “Award for sound environmental management” from the Association of Independent Entrepreneurs (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Selbständiger Unternehmer, ASU).

The international expansion process begins

The political turnabout in Eastern Europe opens promising new markets for Eckes. The spirits and fruit-beverage divisions adopt a consistent international expansion strategy within the context of their growth plans.

The first major step in the process of successful European expansion is the acquisition of the Hungarian SIÓ Nektar Kft. of Siófok on the Balaton in 1993. In addition to SIÓ, its most popular local brand, the company also markets hohes C in Hungary.

A year later, Eckes acquires 50% interest in the Austrian fruit-beverage producer Ybbstaler and thus in the YO brand.

The completion of two acquisitions in 1998 represents a giant step into major European fruit-beverage markets for Eckes-Granini. The first is the acquisition of the French Les Vergers d’Alsace company and its Réa brand. That same year, Eckes-Granini Ibérica S. A., the new Spanish subsidiary, takes over marketing and sales operations in Barcelona. Eckes-Granini holds majority interest in the joint venture with a new partner, the Spanish Grup de Distribucio Costa Brava S. A. (and since 2003 with Damm S.A., one of the leading breweries in Spain).

Spirits and fruit juice go their separate ways

Effective 1 January 2004, Eckes AG is transformed into a straight financial holding company. From this point on, all business operations are managed by Eckes & Stock (spirits, wine and sparkling wine) and Eckes-Granini (fruit juice, fruit beverages), respectively. These two companies operate independently, each with its own management team and supervisory boards. This represents the final significant step in the process of establishing the two former divisions of Eckes AG as fully independent business enterprises.

Eckes Spirituosen & Wein, the German subsidiary, is sold to the Rotkäppchen-Mumm organization in 2006. The Harald Eckes-Chantré family holds a majority interest in Rotkäppchen-Mumm.

The final end to the company's century and a half-long involvement in the alcoholic beverages sector comes with the subsequent sale of all Eckes & Stock subsidiaries abroad to an American investor the following year. From this point on, the Eckes-Granini Group will focus its brand business on the fruit-juice and fruit-beverage market.

Eckes-Granini achieves total autonomy

Eckes acquires the remaining shares of Eckes-Granini GmbH & Co. KG held by Melitta (26%) since the acquisition of Granini in 1994. Effective 2006, the Eckes-Granini Group is invested with sole business-policy and decision-making authority.

The foundation for a successful future is laid in the first business year following its decision by Eckes AG to concentrate on the European fruit-juice business (2008) through the Eckes-Granini Group. With highly qualified and motivated employees, a broad and diverse brand portfolio (featuring the renowned premium brand granini and strong local fruit-juice and fruit-beverage brands) and a very sound financial structure, the economically healthy, independent family enterprise is well prepared for the challenges to come.

The conversion from glass to PET begins

Having previously introduced PET bottles for fruit juice with success in Switzerland and Finland, Eckes-Granini initiates the progressive conversion from glass to PET in Germany as well. This successful, revolutionary change requires massive investments and poses a major technical challenge for the Group.

Further progress in European expansion

The initial acquisition of a 20-percent (minority) interest in the Marli Group, the leading fruit-beverage supplier in Finland, opens the door to the markets in Scandinavia and the Baltic states in the year 2000. Eckes-Granini increases its share to a full 100% a year later.

With the acquisition of 60% interest in the French fruit-beverage producer Joker, Eckes-Granini assumes a leading position in the French fruit-juice market in 2001. Eckes-Granini France is founded through the merger of Joker and Les Vergers d’Alsace (acquired in 1998) with the granini, Joker and Réa brands in 2002.

Eckes-Granini Austria is established as a fully-owned subsidiary of the Eckes-Granini Group that same year.

Further progress in the process of European expansion is achieved through the acquisition of the fruit-juice producer Elmenhorster in Lithuania and the incorporation of Eckes-Granini Romania S. R. L. as the Romanian subsidiary (in cooperation with Carlsrom Beverage Co.) in 2006.

The Eckes-Granini Group also significantly expands its presence in the Scandinavian markets in 2007 through the acquisition of Brämhults Juice AB, a Swedish supplier of premium fruit juices. The fruit-juice producer is now represented in Sweden as well as Finland and the Baltic states by national subsidiaries and powerful fruit-juice and fruit-beverage brands.

The Eckes-Granini Group concludes a strategic partnership agreement with KMV (Karlovareské Minerásní Vody), the leading supplier of mineral water in the Czech market. The goal of cooperation in marketing, sales and logistics is to ensure successful joint marketing of the international premium juice brand granini and the premium syrup brand YO in the Czech and Slovak Republics.

The Eckes-Granini Group takes an important step in support of its international growth strategy with the acquisition of Pago International GmbH, one of the leading Austrian producers of premium fruit juices. As a strong, traditional brand with a high brand-recognition rating, Pago is an outstanding strategic addition to the fruit-juice producer’s international brand portfolio and is expected to boost sales in the out-of-home sector. In this way, the Group strengthens its market position in Austria, France and Spain substantially and gains access to the Italian and Croatian markets.

With its buyout of the Danish fruit-juice producer Rynkeby Foods A/S, the Eckes-Granini Group achieves yet another milestone in support of its corporate strategy devoted to external growth through the acquisition of leading brands. Following the integration of the Rynkeby and God Morgon brands, Eckes-Granini now controls more than eleven strategic brands in Europe. Moreover, the Group is now the market leader in the fruit-juice and fruit-beverage segments in Denmark and Sweden as well, and has also extended its market lead in Finland.

In 2018, Eckes-Granini Group GmbH acquired shares in true fruits GmbH. With this acquisition, the Eckes-Granini Group took another step towards its goal of strengthening its position as the leading supplier of non-alcoholic fruit beverages in Europe and participating in the growing market for chilled fruit beverages and direct juices. The founders of true fruits GmbH will continue to manage the company independently.