Efes Beverage Group was founded in Turkey in 1969, and today consists of 14 breweries in Turkey, Russia, the CIS countries and Southeast Europe. The company is named after the ancient city of Ephesus (Turkish "Efes") located near the İzmir brewery. Efes Beverage Group, a subsidiary of Anadolu Group, is the largest producer of beer in Turkey with approximately 80% of the market share.
The flagship product, Efes Pilsen (called Efes Pilsener in English) gets its unique taste from rice added into the ingredients at brewing stage. The 5.0% ABV beer has been described to have a "tangy malt and hops aroma, rich malt in the mouth, and a bitter-sweet finish that becomes dry and hoppy".
As well as the main product, Efes also produces three other beers: Efes Dark, Efes Light (a low-calorie version) and Efes Extra (a high-alcohol version).
As of March 2005, Foster's Lager has been brewed, marketed and distributed in Turkey through Efes Beverage Group. Efes exports to markets in the Middle East, Europe and Africa. In the UK it is sold by the Wetherspoons pub chain, as one of their cheaper lagers.
Efes is the largest local shareholder of the Coca-Cola franchise in Turkey and produces a range of soft drinks. Muhtar Kent, named to assume the post of CEO of the Coca-Cola Company on July 1, 2008, was the top executive of Efes Beverage Group from 1999 through 2005.
