ATHENS, Greece—Several Filipinos became the first Asians to tour the Philip Morris International’s (PMI) Papastratos Terea factory this year in Greece, which exports its heated tobacco products to more than 40 markets worldwide, Papastratos communications manager Katerina Chatzopoulou said.
Some members of the Philippine media and staff of PMFTC, Inc., the Philippine affiliate of Philip Morris International (PMI), tour the Papastratos Factory that manufactures Terea heated tobacco sticks in Athens, Greece, on Friday, April 4, 2025. (Raymund Antonio/MANILA BULLETIN)
An affiliate of PMI, Papastratos, “has been a leader in the production and commercialization of cigarettes and smoke-free tobacco products in Greece for the past nine decades.”
According to Chatzopoulou, the company’s history dates back to 1931 when Papastratos was first founded and then in 2003, when it became a part of the PMI network before moving its factory to Aspropygros in 2009.
With PMI’s smoke-free innovation, IQOS entering the Greek market in 2016, Papastratos received a whopping €300-million investment to transform its factory into an exclusive heated tobacco sticks production unit for Terea alone.
After the approval of IQOS as “a modified risk tobacco product (that is) suitable for promoting public health” in July 2020 by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the technology became readily available in 92 countries and was chosen by around 36.5 million adult smokers worldwide and more than 650,000 in Greece.
At 20 to 30 million Euros of cost, the fully automated technology is geared to bring millions of Terea heated tobacco sticks, which it produces exclusively, to every corner of the world.
First time
Some members of Philippine media outlets, including the Manila Bulletin, and the PMFTC, a PMI affiliate, were given the chance to visit the Papastratos factory in Aspropygros on Friday, April 4, which marked a first for the country.
Manila Bulletin senior desk editor Raymund Antonio during his visit to the Papastratos Terea factory in Athens.
The tour was led by Georgios Alifantakis, Vertical Start-Up (VSU) manager, who revealed that the factory can produce up to 10,000 smoke-free cigarettes per minute or a total of 500 packs.
Japan composed 51 percent of the 40 markets that the factory exports 90 percent of its products to. This is followed by Germany and Spain.
“IQOS heated tobacco sticks is the #1 Greek product exporting to Japan, representing 80 percent of Greece’s total exports to Japan,” a fact sheet from Papastratos said.
Factory visit
In the celebration of Papastratos’ 90th anniversary in June 2021, the company announced its Sustainable Development strategy for the next five years, as well as a new major investment in its Aspropyrgos factory.
The investment was worth more than 200 million Euros, creating a total of 300 new jobs and strengthening the company’s exports to more than 400 million Euros.
Another 200 million Euros was announced in 2023.
“Through over 700 million euros in investments since 2017, Papastratos has created value both for the company and its people and for the environment and society,” the company said.
Papastratos Terea factory in Athens (Photo courtesy of PMI)
By creating an extensive social responsibility program, the company also cemented its reputation in the industry, bagging multiple awards as Best Workplace and Top Employer.
It also received the Equal Salary certification, making it the first-ever smoke-free company in Greece to prove that sustainable development is possible while also pursuing its business growth.
Apart from production, the tour included the quality control building for the physical and chemical analysis of about five percent sampling of the total production per day.
Exports
Chatzopoulou said that with around 40 markets to export to worldwide, Papastratos has reached more than 400 million Euros of value exports per year.
To address the increasing demand for Terea, PMI has invested a total of 700 million Euros since 2017 and generated more than 1,000 jobs, reflecting that the company’s journey “is inextricably linked to the evolution of the industry, the development of the country’s economy and the support towards society.”
“In the past three years alone, we have more than doubled the capacity of our factory in Aspropyrgos,” the company said, adding that the value of exports also “more than doubled” by reaching 300 million per year.
While IQOS and Terea users have increased significantly in Greece, Papastratos continues to send 90 percent of its production to top IQOS users such as Japan, Germany, and Spain.