Kyriazi Freres

Kyriazi Freres (also spelled Kyriazi Frères and incorrectly "Kiriazi") was a cigarette manufacturing company established in 1873 in Egypt. The company was founded by Ioannis Kyriazis, together with his brothers Efstathios and Epaminondas, although his other two brothers, George and Dimitris also played an active role in the company.

Neoklis Kyriazis, the son of George, would later become a medical doctor who, through his lectures on hygiene, warned the public about the health risks of tobacco smoke.

Ioannis’ father was Kyriazis Hadji-Kyriazis (b. 1817) from Kissos, in Mt. Pelion in Thessaly (Greece). He was a tobacco and overcoat merchant, married to Keratso Alexopoulou (first wife) and Maria (b1820, second wife). Ioannis went into the tobacco business in Smyrna, but was forced out of Greece by the imposition of the Turkish tobacco monopoly. He founded a company for the importation of tobacco and a cigarette factory in Muski Street in Cairo in Egypt, which later became known as Kyriazi Freres. The company was formally established in 1873, as advertised on all their products. In 1897 the brothers constructed a purpose-built factory in the Cairo district of Tewfikieh and they employed over 500 workers to manufacture hand-made cigarettes.

The company expanded due to a successful advertising campaign and their brands became known across Europe and the Middle East. They had an outlet at 20 Cheapside, London, as well as agents in Austria, Hungary and Switzerland. By 1901, Kyriazi Freres were exporting over 103 million cigarettes a year. Some years later the sons of Ioannis (Damianos and Constantinos b.1891-d.1962) opened custom-built factories in Amsterdam, the Netherlands (1922) and in Hamburg, Germany (1925).

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