Who we are

OUR HISTORY

ABOUT US

Our company, a Member of the Greek-Cypriot Costas Papaellinas Group of Companies, is a leading importer, distributor and exclusive agent for a wide variety of products, in the health, beauty and personal care fields, and in the food sector. Our company was founded in 1969 by Thanos Papaellinas, son of Costas Papaellinas.

Costas Papaellinas Group of Companies is now one of the strongest companies in Greece and Cyprus. Through successful strategic moves, such as acquiring new partnerships, companies, and forming business alliances, we have been able to grow significantly over the last 40 years. We employ 85 employees in Greece and 465 employees in Cyprus.

 The ownership of our Group of Companies is divided between Paris and Thanos Papaellinas, the managing directors of the Cypriot and Greek companies respectively.

 

OUR HISTORY

 

1928

Our Group's first company is founded in Nicosia, Cyprus by Costas A. Papaellinas at the age of 20. Its commercial activity begins with the distribution of Greek lifestyle magazines of those times and continues with exclusive dealerships of ALKA-SELTZER and LEDERLE LABORATORIES (manufacturer of CENTRUM supplements) in Cyprus.

1969

Our Group of Companies is expanding in Greece with the foundation of Costas A. Papaellinas (Hellas) S.A., serving hospitals, pharmacies and super markets. The first brands to be imported and distributed are ALKA-SELTZER, TAMPAX and AMES' diagnostic products.

1970s

The arrival of Thanos and Paris Papaellinas marks the transition to the second generation of our family and the further development of the companies. Amid the 1974 Cyprus invasion, the Greek side is driving growth by enriching its product portfolio with new dealerships, such as the brand OLD SPICE.

1980s

Greece continues to grow, increasing sales by 26% CAGR in the decade, while our Group of Companies breaks the €10 million annual sales barrier. The employees of our Group of Companies have doubled from 100 to 200.

1990s

Our Cypriot company is recovering and developing organically through the brands NIVEA in the consumer products sector, and ESTEE LAUDER in the cosmetic sector. The Cypriot side now accounts for 60% of the sales and profits of our Group of Companies.

2000s

Large investments begin in Cyprus, focused on acquisitions of specialized companies in the medical sector such as G.G. GIGANTUS, MEDVISION, PHARMALINK, CHRISTOPHIDES & PAPAELLINAS). In 2008 our Group of Companies exceeds sales of € 100 million.

2010s

Our Group of Companies is growing mainly through acquisitions of € 18 million in both the medical and consumer products sector, including PFIZER (Cyprus), SCIENTRONICS (Cyprus), MEGA (Cyprus), HATΖΙATHANASSIOU (Greece) and 3 pharmacies (Cyprus). These acquisitions represent 30% of the current sales of our Group of Companies.

Today

With annual sales of 165 mil. € and 550 employees, our Group of Companies continues to grow in all its areas of activity, and is ready to meet the challenges of the 2020s with the advent of the 3rd generation of the family.

OUR VALUES

OUR VALUES

As a third-generation family company, faith in our values is the main reason why we have maintained our humble character and have also become an innovative Group of Companies.

  • Family
  • Flexibility and adaptability
  •  Accountability
  •  Passion and self-motivation

MEET OUR TEAM

Costas Papaellinas

After finishing his academic studies in order to gain a bachelor’s and master’s degree from American universities, Costas joins the company in 2014 and assumes the post of the Human Resources Manager / Business Development Manager. In 2018 he assumes the post of the General Manager. https://gr.linkedin.com/in/costaspapaellinas

Costas Papaellinas

General Manager

Angie Douvara

Angie has more than 20 years of experience in Financial Management in various sectors, such as Pharmaceuticals, Telecoms and SAAS-Marketing Technology. She joined CAP Group in 2023 as Business Planning & Analysis Manager. She holds a B.Sc. in Business Administration (w. Distinction) / Major in Management with concentration in International Business from Deree – The American College of Greece.https://www.linkedin.com/in/angiedouvara/

Angie Douvara

Business Planning & Analysis Manager

Vasilis Gogos

Vassilis is a Biomedical Engineer (B.Eng). Has 25 years of experience as a Sales Manager, Managing Director and General Manager in the fields of Medical Devices and renewable energy sources. He joined our Group in 2017, taking over the responsibility of the Medical Department in Greece as Commercial Director. He holds an MBA from Kingston University UK.https://www.linkedin.com/in/vasilisgogos/

Vasilis Gogos

Commercial Director

Medical Division

Dimitris Kalfas

Dimitris is an executive with almost 20 years of experience in the market of cosmetics and para-pharmaceutical products. He has been with us since 2012 and is responsible for the Pharmacy Division. Prior to joining our company he had significant international experience in Sales & Marketing management positions. He holds an MBA from the University of Nottingham.https://www.linkedin.com/in/kalfas-dimitris-2995a519/

Dimitris Kalfas

Commercial Director

Pharmacy Division

Kon/nos Panourgias

Konstantinos started his professional career in 2010 in the field of Retail and has served as Sales Manager and Training & Development Manager for Lidl Hellas. Since June 2017, he has been working for our Group, having taken over the position of Commercial Director of the Consumer Products Division. He is a graduate of the Department of Business Administration of the University of Patras.https://www.linkedin.com/in/kwnstantinos-panourgias-38533257/

Kon/nos Panourgias

Commercial Director

Consumer Division

Marina Spathi

Having 10 years of experience in the logistics market, Marina joined our Group in 2007 and entered the Medical Division. In 2015 she took over the position of Logistics Manager, with the main task of organizing and supervising all the functions of the supply chain from the storage of products to their transportation and distribution. She is a graduate of the Department of Political Science & Public Administration, majoring in International and European Studies at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.https://www.linkedin.com/in/marina-spathi-75a4ba1/

Marina Spathi

Logistics Manager

Efi Kapopoulou

Efi has been providing accounting services to technology and food companies since 2012. She started off in our Group in 2016 as an administrator and rotated through positions in the Commercial departments, until 2018 when she took over the Human Resources Department. She holds a degree in "Agricultural Economics and Development" from the Agricultural University of Athens and an MBA in Food & Agribusiness, from the same University, which she completed with a scholarship.https://www.linkedin.com/in/effie-kapopoulou-72a952aa/

Efi Kapopoulou

HR Manager

Angelos Papadimitriou

Angelos is a certified CISCO and Linux network engineer. He has 21 years of experience in computer science. In 2006 he undertook a project in Armenia "ARMENTEL Telecommunications" which included installation of Blade server (Linux & Windows) and NetApp storage. He joined our Group in 2006 taking over responsibilities in the IT Department of the Group until 2015 where he took over the Management of the department in Greece. He is a graduate of I.E.K. Delta as a Computer Technician.https://www.linkedin.com/in/papadimitriou-angelo-b2b5457b/

Angelos Papadimitriou

IT Manager