In 1922, with the uprooting of Hellenism, the business was also forcibly uprooted. But the art remained unchanged, as did the passion for the distillation still, a pillar of tradition and a springboard for creation. In the new homeland, therefore, the original seed found fertile ground to take root and harvest anew.
Thus, in 1980, the ground was broken for a bold venture: a winery-bottling plant was established in Anchialos, Macedonia, a shelter for refugees from Eastern Rumelia, a place for whom the vineyard, wine and tsipouro were their whole life. In such an environment of creative ferment, Anestis Babatzimopoulos laid the foundations of the legendary continuity.
Our History…
The long history of the company dates back to 1875, when the Babatzimopoulos brothers founded the BABATZIM company in Istanbul. A few years later, our great-grandfather established a vineyard of 870,000 vineyards “in Delliones Selymbria” and at the same time established a distillery for the production of wine and raki, which was a great success.
In an era when the domestic art of winemaking was in its infancy, Babatzim was the true pioneer, tried and tested – in perseverance, in experimentation, in dedication to his trade. The history of bottled tsipouro in Greece would never have been the same without his faith. He pioneered its bottling, he moved heaven and earth, he paved the way for the country’s spirits to be registered, for tsipouro and ouzo to acquire identity and prestige. He experimented, aged, made vermouth and brandy, grappa and single-variety spirits.
Today BABATZIM products continue their tasty journey. Creations of knowledge, inspiration and wisdom, bearers of a long and legendary tradition, are bottled to convey messages of a pleasure destined to last forever.
THE LEGENDARY ZORBA MASTER DISTILLER OF MACEDONIA
BABATZIM means both a name and a substance, since in Turkish “BABATZIM” means “our respected father, papa” and he enjoyed the love, respect and appreciation of everyone who met him. Anestis Babatzimopoulos is the emblematic figure behind the BABATZIM distillery. An agile creator, but also a truly charming man, who captivated everyone by his smile and warmth, with his innate talent not only in distillation but also in interpersonal relations.
He claimed that ouzo is the most complete drink around. Complete, like his life, full of grit, daring, vision, right up to the last moment. No matter if he was in his organic vineyard, talking to his plants, or in the distillery experimenting with something new each time, or in the kitchen, cooking and enchanting palates with his flavor pairings, Anestis lived and revived to nourish life on all levels.
Always with an honest heart, the legendary Zorba master distiller of Macedonia was a true visionary who knew that enriching the world of Greek spirits would make people’s experiences even more enjoyable. And he achieved it.
His name was associated with innovations. He was the first person who bottled tsipouro, essentially guiding the country in its first steps towards the creation and legalization of its spirits. Through testing and a passion for creation, he was the first to inspire single-vineyard spirits, the wondrous grappas with their delicate aromas and famous digestive properties, tsipouro without anise, and matured malt spirits.
In this way, as a pioneer and a passionate man, he remained so until the end of his life, leaving his indelible hallmark on the world of Greek spirits. He may no longer be with us, but his creations are still with us, accompanying human relationships, giving flavor, aroma and “soul” to the most beautiful moments of life.
BABATZIM ...FOURTH GENERATION
The sole successor of Anestis Babatzimopoulos and the inspired continuator of the long family tradition, his son Christos Babatzimopoulos represents the next day of the legendary distillery.
After the loss of his father, he is now at the helm of the family business, while being the owner of the organic vineyard and winery. Having grown up and matured in the distillery, having apprenticed alongside his father, he has now vigorously taken up the baton of this great endeavor that has been passed down from one generation to the next for a century and a half.
Gazing at the past with respect and the future with impatience, he grafted the decades of experience and knowledge he inherited from his predecessors with the power of new technologies and the pulse of the new era.
We honor our past and envision our future. Guardians of the precious family tradition, we continue to enrich the world of spirits, keeping the flame of creation unquenched.
We are striving for the future, with fruit and honey spirits, distilled spirits aged in oak barrels already in the pipeline. Products destined to accompany the rich gastronomic culture of our country, but also the most beautiful and unique moments of life.
In Greece, the most important things often revolve around a meal where we have all found ourselves as participants, guests or hosts. The number of experiences that are engraved in our memories on the occasion of a gastronomic experience is truly impressive. Spirits are an integral part of this experience.
Our mission is to continue producing quality products that bring us together, connect us with nature, elevate our taste buds, and eventually become an integral part of our identity.
Values
Tradition
Now, for a century and a half, we reverently carry the precious secrets of a historic family craft.
Respect
Respect is at the core of everything we do and every product we create. Respect for memory, nature, human and life in general.
Quality
A non-negotiable condition in our version of distillation: the qualitative excellence of our products. For decades we have been bottling… only quality.
Innovation
We love tradition, we embrace the new. We taste, we smell, we savor, we make the next day of Greek spirits happen.
TIMELINE
1875
In the Delliones Selymbria
our great-grandfather establishes a vineyard of 870,000 vines and at the same time a distillery is founded for the production of wine and raki. The wine is exported while raki conquers the Ottomans.
1922
New homeland for old art
The BABATZIM family, upon the Asia Minor disaster, settles in Greece and continues the art of distillation.
1954
End of an era,
new dawn
Theodora Babatzimopoulou, with her children Anestis and Margarita by her side, undertakes to give new life to the long-standing family tradition.
1974
Privately owned organic vineyard in Ossa by hand... BABATZIM.
This is the first organic vineyard and the second organic cultivation in Greece.
1980
A bold start in Anchialos Macedonia,
refugee shelter of refugees from Eastern Rumelia, which becomes the ideal place for the establishment of the winery – bottling plant.
1984
The rosé wine is recommended for the first time from the Xinomavro variety
which has won praise and awards.
1988
Anestis Babatzimopoulos bottles the tsipouro
for the first time, giving Greece the necessary impetus to register its spirits in the EU.
1992
Grape spirits presented in Detrop
products of tasting and experimentation, which reveal the flavors and aromas of each grape variety.
1999
Bottling tsipouro without anise
with the addition of wild herbs during the second distillation, to give it a special aromatic opulence.
2002
The innovations continue...
For the first time, BABAGIM ages spirits with miraculous results.
2018
Annestis Babatzimopoulos “is gone”
at the age of 78 years old and the relay is taken over by his only son Christos Babatzimopoulos.
