5
Renovation of Amstel breweries in
Athens and expansion of Thessaloniki
Close ties between Pedavena
brewery and local people
Thessaloniki
The Dreher brewery in Pedavena is certainly integrated
within the local community. Its links with Pedavena's
3,000 inhabitants are widespread, as is evidenced by
tennis courts, a superb park, a restaurant and the local
fire station. Ail of these in fact stand on land owned by
the brewery instead of on municipal land.
Renovation is planned for the Amstel brewery in Athens.
The brewhouse in particular will be brought into line
with today's requirements. Besides, eight new fermen
tation tanks have already been installed. These tanks
will also be used for storage. Substantial investments
are also being made in Thessaloniki in the north of
Greece where the countiy's biggest brewery is to be
given a further nine storage tanks.
The employees in Athens have
to make the most of the limited
space available to them. And
it's a tight fit. Though the brewery's
production capacity has been doubled
several times since 1965there has not
been any major increase in the sur
face area of the site. In 1965 the
maximum capacity was 40,000 hecto
litres; meanwhile it has grown to as
much as 600,000 hectolitres.
The Athens brewery brews Amstel
beer only, which it then fills into 50-cl
and 33-cl bottles, 50-cl and 33-cl cans
and into draught kegs.
The brewery is located right in Athens
city. This site has its advantages,
but also some drawbacks. Over the
years, other businesses have been
built all around the brewery, so there
are no longer any prospects of extend
ing the brewery site. Any extensions
have to be built within the confines
of the existing site. The engineers
have their work cut out trying to find
enough space for each new addition.
But they have always managed to
come up with a solution.
During its lifetime the brewery in
Thessaloniki has undergone frequent
extension work. Since its opening in
1975 the brewery has increased its
capacity fivefold. Its current output is
over one million hectolitres. Apart
from Amstel, the Thessaloniki unit
also started brewing Heineken beer
recently.
The Pedavena tennis club is
happy with its three outdoor
courts and one indoor court.
What's more, this summer season its
members will be able to take refresh
ments for the first time in a comple
tely new club house. Built on the
initiative of the brewery.
On Sunday afternoons in the sum
mer lots of people go for a stroll
through the park near the brewery.
The park was laid out very many
years ago by the brewery, but its
upkeep is currently in the hands of
another company. Until quite
recently the park even housed a
small zoo. "In earlier days the zoo
used to attract a lot of young visitors
in particular, but nowadays children
can see all those exotic animals on
TV, so there was a steady decline in
interest. Also, the zoo urgently need
ed modernising. The costs that
would have been involved and the
new, strict government regulations
on animal welfare were the reasons
why we decided to close down the
zoo", says Mr. Mangosu, brewery
manager at Pedavena. But the brew
ery still offers sufficient amenities in
which the local people can while
away a few pleasant hours. These
attractions emphasise yet again
Dreher's close ties with the people
from the village.
A glimpse ofpart of the breweryfrom the park.
The local fire brigade's wall sign. Fire-
fighting equipment is kept at the ready
in a building on the Dreher brewery
site.
In theforeground:
some of the
brewery's tanks.
The brewery is
completely
encircled by the
built-up area of
Athens.
18,000 cans of
Amstel arefilled
every hour.
A view between the new storage tanks
in Thessaloniki.
The brewhouse in Athens: shortly due
for drastic modernisation.
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