The Greek-Nigerian NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo and his talented basketball family just announced their decision to invest in iconic Greek wine companies.
Hellenic Wineries and Boutari Winery are Greek wine companies with over a century of history, and the Antetokounmpo brothers have decided to invest in a ten percent share.
Giannis Antetokounmpo stated, “I am delighted about the investment and our partnership with Elias Georgiades. Together we will be able to develop companies with a history that produce natural products of the Greek land, such as wine and natural mineral water.”
The brothers have nearly all moved to the United States with their careers in the NBA, but they’ve decided on bringing something with them and sharing a piece of Greece with the world.
Giannis, Kostas, Thanasis, and Alex Antetokounmpo are inspired by their passion for their homeland, their relationship to nature and the historical art of winemaking.
Their idea is to invest in preserving the knowledge of winemaking in Greece and sharing their passion for it by exporting wine internationally so as to push for its recognition.
“Together, we aspire to present Greece’s exceptional products to wine lovers and around the world, paving the way for economic development as well as cultural exchanges,” reads the joint statement.
Ante Inc. Launch Joint Venture in Wine
Ante Inc., a global portfolio of businesses by the Antetokounmpo brothers, will be buying shares of Hellenic Wineries. The holding company acquired Boutari Wineries in 2022 and bought the natural mineral water company IOLI more recently.
Giannis, nicknamed “Greek Freak,” earned hundreds of millions per season over the course of a decade beginning in 2010, but his career was uncertain. He was already considering leaving basketball for good, but didn’t want to leave the Milwaukee Bucks. His interest in Greek agrobusiness and winemaking is bound to bring publicity to ancient knowledge.
Other investors in Hellenic Wineries are also delighted to have the Antetokounmpo family on board.
Elias Georgiadis is the CEO of Sterner Stenhus and a major shareholder in the wineries business. He released a statement thanking the brothers for their investment.
“We are particularly pleased to welcome the Antetokounmpo family to Hellenic Wineries, which produces and markets Boutari wines and IOLI water,” he said. “By joining forces, we will be able to pursue and strengthen our strategic goal of spreading Greek products such as wine internationally, as well as promoting wine-related tourism in our country.”