Apivita's Success Story

Husband and wife Niki and Nikos Koutsianas who are both pharmacists, never liked chemical based items and first created face creams and soap from natural sources. The items were so successful that the pair established Apivitia in 1979 that only produced all-natural cosmetics, creams and soaps. Apivitia is now offered in 14 nations and claimed 33 million euros in 2013. It was one of the only Hellenic companies that did not suffer in the nation's six-year financial crisis.

The Koutsianas couple are not interested in selling out to a large cosmetics corporation and want to preserve the company based on its organic foundations. Nikos stated in The Globe and Mail article: "My goal is to produce useful products not to produce a product that sells, sells, sells...We have to be interested in the common good, not just money".

Apivita was honored with an innovation award that was granted by Bill Gates and the Association of Greek Industries. Apivita's focus is herbs and bees and is where its name originated from. Apis means bee in Latin, while vita means life. Eric Reguly's article can be read in its entirety at: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/international-business/european-business/slow-and-steady/article19406734/.