The FINANCIAL — Baltika is to bring a new brand to the Georgian market. Very soon its premium class energy drink will appear in shops around Georgia as Baltika starts to import ‘Battery’.
According to Dmitrii Ivolgin, Sales Manager, Baltika Caucasus and Middle Asia, sales of Baltika in Georgia increased by 85% in 2007, the same as in 2006 which made more than USD 500,000. The Danish beer Carlsberg showed the best results of other licensed brands.
“Georgia is one of the highest-priority export markets in the Caucasus for Baltika. Baltika has been present on the Georgian market since 2002 and today sells all its brands including licensed brands like Carlsberg, Foster’s and Kronenbourg 1664. The official distributor of Baltika in Georgia is Capital Point Limited,” Ivolgin told The FINANCIAL.
Baltika company announced on their website that Battery is a beverage intended for those who want to avoid tiredness and for those who need supplemental energy at work, when preparing for exams or driving. This natural and refreshing drink quenches the thirst wonderfully and puts you in a good mood. It stimulates intellectual and physical activity. Battery is for people who are successful and modern between the ages of 20-35, and with middle to higher level incomes.
The drink has an original and pleasant taste which young people and sportsmen like very much. Battery provides 30% more energy than ordinary soft drinks. Moreover, it is an absolutely safe product. Battery has a unique composition that stimulates the functioning of the whole organism thanks to the combined action of caffeine, guarana and taurine. One can of Battery is 0.33 litres.
As the website says, Baltika brand is Europe’s second largest in terms of sales. The company accounts for more than 80% of all Russian beer exports. The product is exported to 42 countries. It has 10 breweries: two factories in St Petersburg and factories in Rostov-on-Don, Tula, Samara, Khabarovsk, Yaroslavl, Voronezh, Chelyabinsk and Krasnoyarsk.
“2007 was remarkable for bringing out the new brand for youth Baltika Cooler in Georgia, sales of which have shown an increase. As a result of 2007 shares of the brand Baltika Cooler made up 7% of sales volume in Georgia. The product with the most volume of sales in the Georgian market is Baltika Nine Extra, then Baltika Seven Export with 19%, and lastly Baltika Three Classic with 16%,” said Ivolgin.
“Baltika is going to keep up its turnover. Our aim is to offer our consumers all over the world quality and varied products, as well as constantly expanding choice and introduction innovations,” Ivolgin added.
“We are glad to see how various brands of power drinks are growing in Georgia. Red-Bull‘s distribution on the world’s market is of a growing tendency, we hope that Georgia will not be an exception. Healthy competition supports business development,” Sopho Tikaradze, Managing Director, PNL Ltd, told The FINANCIAL.
In Ivolgin’s words, by the evaluation of market specialists, beer in Georgia takes first place among Caucasian countries. In 2007 its volume reached over 680 thousand gallons. Also Georgia takes first place in consuming beer per capita at more than 11 litres. Compared with Azerbaijan this rate is approximately 6 litres per capita per year. Baltika considers that the Georgian market has high potential and the company wants to participate in its development and formation.
“Since the power drinks business market is growing, it is one of the reasons which make this sphere profitable. Red-Bull is the leading brand in power drinks. 550,000 tins of red-bull were sold in 2007. Red-Bull has become like a supplement for healthy life for the Georgian population and has many devoted consumers,” said Tikaradze.
“As a result in 2007 the Russian market took third place in the world and made up 6.4% of world beer consumption. Beer consumption per capita in Russia reached the rate of European countries and made up 78 litres per capita. In the list the Czech Republic is leader – with 163 litres per capita,” told Ivolgin.
As Ivolgin stated, the shares of Baltika amount to 70% of total export beers in Russia. The volume of export sales of Baltika in 2007 increased by 22.9% compared with last year and made 2 million gallons.
As a result of 2007 resolute leadership is held by Kazakhstan. Sales in this country exceed USD 8 million. The second place is shared by Belorussia and Ukraine. Including licensing production, sales made up over USD 5 million in Ukraine in 2007.
“At present the production of Baltika has been introduced in 46 countries and expects to further expand in the world. Only in 2007 did Baltika come to eight new foreign markets among which are Switzerland, North Korea, Mexico and Malta, and restored its supply of beer to Mongolia,” said Ivolgin.
Discussion about this post