Patounis Soap Factory

In the early 19th century, Bazakis & Patounis from Kallarites, a mountain village in Epirus Greece, established a trade of woven capes to supply the army of Napoleon III. With the money, soap was bought from Marseilles and sold in Greece.

Through this commerce they learned how soap was made. In 1850 their first soap manufacture under the name “Bazakis & Co” was founded on the island of Zakynthos. According to available archives, this appears to be the oldest soap factory in Greece.

Their soap soon became renowned across Greece and beyond with the company experiencing great success. In 1891, at the peak of its operation, the business was expanded by building a second soap factory in Corfu. In the 1930’s the two families divided the operation. The Bazakis family stayed in Zakynthos, making soap until the 1970’s. The Patounis family settled in Corfu, where they continue to make traditional soap in the original factory.

Ιn the 1940’s Spyros Patounis the 4th generation member of the family, having studied chemical engineering, established a chemical laboratory for the quality control of their products. Since then the company has developed a scientific approach to its traditional practice.