1. Introduction

Merchant family of diaspora Greeks located in Vasiliko (Tsarevo in NE Bulgaria), on the northern border of the Ottoman Empire. Christos Danielopoulos, who got involved in exports married Anastassia Evlogimenos and had twelve children with her, the most celebrated one being Yankos Danielopoulos.¹ From the late 19th century until the middle of the 20th, the family moved from Vasiliko to Russia, then to Romania, to finally settle in Greece. Its main entrepreneurial activities were in Romania with the establishment of the colonial trade company Danielopoulos Bros, which was founded in 1914 in Constanţa and dissolved in 1948.

2. The family

The Danielopoulos family first ever records in the Vasiliko area, which was under the jurisdiction of the Agathoupolis (Ahtopol) kaza, date from the last quarter of the 19th century.² Christos Danielopoulos emigrated there from Constantinople between the years 1876 and 1878. A timber merchant, he got married to Anastassia Evlogimenos from Anchialos. They had 12 children: Martha, Daniel, Panagiotis, Spyros, Georgios, Theodoros, Aristoklis, Eleni, who was adopted, Aikaterini, Yankos, Despoina and Katina.³ Yankos (1899) proved to be the most enterprising, always within the context of family business.

3. Education

In September 1910, Yankos Danielopoulos followed his brothers to Constantinople in order to attend the Great School of the Nation (Megali tou Genous Scholi).⁴ His older brothers Theodoros and Aristoklis had also studied in the same school, while Panagiotis, at the same time, attended law classes in the Ottoman University. After graduating from the Great School of the Nation, Aristoklis started his studies in the School of Languages and Commerce in Pera.

Subsequently, the boys of the family worked in various commercial establishments, in order to gain practical knowledge concerning trade. Spyros worked in Makris’ export office in Constanţa, Georgios worked in the general store of Nikos Evlogimenos, a relative on his mother’s side of the family, while Theodoros in the establishment of Saparis, a wholesale merchant of Bucharest dealing with colonial products.⁵

Due to the changes occurring after the Second Balkan War, the signing of the Treaty of Bucharest (1913) and the concession of the province of Agathoupolis to Bulgaria, Vasiliko passed into the hands of the Bulgarian state, forcing the Danielopoulos family to immigrate. Because of his family’s relocation, Yankos Danielopoulos had to leave school and move to Constanţa, where his brothers already were, and to start working in the establishments of Theodoridis and Giakoumatos.⁶

4. Locating in Constanţa and establishing the Fratii Danielopol business

In 1915, Spyros, Aristoklis, Georgios, Theodoros and Yankos Danielopoulos opened their first establishment in Constanţa, on the Piata Unirii Street, named Fratii Danielopol (Danielopoulos Bros).⁷ They traded in colonial products, while quite shortly a second store was established. In 1916 the rest of the family, until then living in Constantinople, moved to Constanţa. The stay there did not last long and, in September 1916, war reached the city; consequently, the Danielopoulos family temporarily transferred to Galaţi.⁸

5. The temporary sojourn in Galaţi and settling down in Russia.

The migration to Galaţi and the hard financial status of the family impelled the brothers to involve themselves in the credit business, mainly buying and selling roubles.⁹ This line of work, although highly profitable, was suspended because the war front extended to Galaţi, forcing the Danielopoulos family to move to Russia. They initially immigrated to Reni, then Rostov, but finally settled in Berdiansk, where they had relatives. ¹⁰

It did not take the Danielopoulos brothers long to become entrepreneurially activated, in a whole different sector this time. They founded a coffee shop/confectionary (late 1916) and established a second store selling dried fruits in 1917.¹¹ However, their activities were once again suspended due to the outbreak of the Russian Revolution that forced the family to flee to Constantinople. Yankos and Theodoros remained briefly in Novorossiysk, but shortly after also left Russia initially for Constantinople and later on for Romania.¹²

6. Return to Constanţa and revival of the Fratii Danielopol business

After their arrival in Constanţa, the Fratii Danielopol business was re-established with the participation of four brothers, Yankos, Georgios, Theodoros and Aristoklis.¹³ In the following period, the company was modernised with the division of labour among the brothers, the increase in staff members and the expansion of the network of correspondents and associates in all of the Mediterranean.

By then, there were agents in Catania, Messina, Marseille, Alexandria, Beirut, Constantinople, Mytilini and Chios.¹⁴ Very shortly, Daniel and Panagiotis Danielopoulos were also called to join the venture and in 1922 the whole family re-united once again in Constanţa and located itself in the new building of the family business.¹⁵

In 1924, Yankos assumed the position of co-director along with his older brother Daniel. The establishment managed to survive even the financial crisis that hit Romania as a result of the 1929 Wall Street crash. After the crisis, the business continued to grow, while a company newspaper named Tomis was printed. In 1937, the Danielopoulos Bros celebrated the 25th anniversary of the foundation of their establishment.¹⁶

7. Yankos Danielopoulos’ marriage to Eleni Tsoukatou

In 1938, Yankos Danielopoulos met Eleni Tsoukatou, daughter of the Varna wholesale merchant Ioannis Tsoukatos, during his vacation in the Bulgarian city. After a short period of time, on August 18th 1938, they got engaged and, one year later, got married.¹⁷

On October 31st 1943, Yankos Danielopoulos’ first daughter Christina was born, and on November 25th 1948, his second daughter, Despoina.¹⁸

8. Company dissolution and leaving for Greece

The outbreak of World War II disturbed once again the life of the Danielopoulos family. The first divisions of the German army reached Romania in October 1940 and occupied Constanţa.¹⁹ The crucial blow, however, regarding the life of the Greek families living in Romania and working in trade, was to come later on, with the march of the Soviet troops and their stationing in the country. The assumption of power by the communists was the beginning of the end for the Danielopoulos Bros business, since in 1948 the establishment was nationalised and the merchandise confiscated.²⁰

Yankos Danielopoulos was initially forced to turn his business into a refreshment store and later on to work in a state confectionary; however, as early as 1947 he had applied to move with his family to Greece. His demand was granted in October 1950, and shortly after the family departed for Lavrio.²¹ Lastly, Yankos Danielopoulos’ family settled permanently in Koropi and dealt with animal husbandry, agriculture and poultry farming.