Baltika starts deliveries of Asahi Super Dry beer to Europe

The first containers of Asahi Super Dry in the characteristic 0.44-litre Steiny bottle were shipped in late December from the Baltika brewery in St. Petersburg. The total volume of the first shipment was 35,000 litres. The European division of Asahi Breweries Ltd. will supervise sales and promotion of the brand in France and Italy.

Ekaterina Zezkova, Baltika Breweries Regional Manager, Europe: "The contract to produce Asahi Super Dry for European countries once again confirms Baltika’s international reputation as a reliable partner and producer of quality beer. Moreover, this project will bring profits to the company and further utilize the production capacities of the Baltika-St. Petersburg brewery."

Asahi Super Dry is exported to more than 40 countries and is produced under license in the Czech Republic, Great Britain, Canada, Thailand, and Russia. However, the special equipment for producing Japan’s № 1 beer in 0.44-litre Steiny bottles is installed only in Japan and Russia. Italy and France are among the key export markets for Asahi Breweries, which is why it was decided to begin exporting Asahi Super Dry in the 0.44-litre bottle, brewed at the Baltika-St. Petersburg brewery to these countries.

In 2008, Baltika Breweries and Asahi Breweries (Tokyo) signed a licensing agreement to produce, sell, and promote Asahi Super Dry in European part of Russia and CIS countries. In 2009 the two parties reached an agreement to produce Asahi Super Dry in the Steiny 0.44-litre bottle for Europe and to extend distribution territory to include Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and a number of regions in the Russian Federation (the Urals and Western Siberia). This decision is especially important under uneasy conditions of the Russian beer market.

SOURCE Baltika Breweries