Azernews.Az

Baltika, the giant Russian corporation, will invest $20 million in the reconstruction of the Baku Brewery, the company said after finalizing the purchase of the brewery located within the Khyrdalan town outside Baku.
After receiving the approval of Azerbaijan`s anti-monopoly agencies, necessary to finalize this purchase, the brewery will now operate as the Baltika Breweries Company OJSC.
The agreement on the acquisition of the Brewery Baku Castel was signed with Brasseries Internationales Holding (Eastern) Ltd (BIH Eastern) on May 15.
Investments will now focus on the modernization of the brewing facilities, upgrading the fermenting and filtering departments, as well as retooling the glass bottling line. The company is also planning to purchase a modern and hi-tech PET bottling line which will allow the production of high quality beer with longer use cycles in PET packing. This technology, which is a new in Azerbaijan, will help to store beer in PET packing without any loss of quality or taste, the OJSC told AzerNEWS.
Earlier this week, Baltika`s top managers met with personnel at the Khyrdalan brewery.
"We are interested in maintaining the number of qualified staff and hope that the successful corporate development will enable us to open up new jobs," Anton Artemyev, the president of the Baltika Brewing Company OJSC, told the meeting. "We see our task as to more effectively use the potential of employees. The overall share of both brands - Baku-Castel and Baltika - is now equal to 74%; and our objective is to maintain at least our share in the market and attract new consumers with a view to the planned innovations to be applied in the production of local brands and launching of Baltika and Arsenalnoye in 2009."
The representatives of Baltika stated their intentions to continue developing such brands as Baku-Castel, noting the forthcoming restyling of PET packing and the label of Afsana and Bizim brands. The Khyrdalan brand will also be packed in PET. During the 2009 season, production of Baltika and Arsenalnoye brands will begin in Khyrdalan, which will utilize the completed production potential and will introduce a new era in the development of the Baku Brewery. The annual production capacity of the Baku Brewery totals 7.2 million deciliters, according to company officials.
Baltika has been supplying products to Azerbaijan since 2000. As of the first half of 2008, it supplies more than 4% of the domestic market and is the leader in the importing segment. The first half-year of 2008 saw a rise of export sales within the country by 46%, compared to the same period in 2007.
The Baltika brand is produced under a license agreement in Ukraine and the United Kingdom and it will also open a manufacturing plant later this year in Uzbekistan. The company exports its products to 50 countries worldwide.
The Baltika Breweries Company OJSC is a leader in the Russian beer market and has been the largest producer of goods in Eastern Europe since 1996. Baltika is the second most sold brand in Europe. The company owns eleven breweries across Russia, manufacturing a variety of brands while employing over 12,500 staff. Baltika`s portfolio includes more than 30 brands of beer, such as Baltika, Arsenalnoye, Nevskoye, Yarpivo, Tuborg, Carlsber, and Kronenbourg 1664.