A. Le Coq
Encyclopedia
A. Le Coq is an Estonia
n brewery. The company was founded by Albert Le Coq in London in 1807, using a brewery in Tartu
that was founded in 1826. The company was bought in 1997 and is currently owned by Finnish
company Olvi
. It produces many different types of drinks including beers, long drink
s, cider
s and soft drinks. The best known beer is the A. Le Coq Premium, which is the most popular beer in Estonia, according to the latest AC Nielsen results in October 2008. A. Le Coq Arena
in Tallinn
was named after the beer.
Its motto is "Asi on maitses", meaning it's about the taste. A song with this name by rock band Smilers
was also specifically written and is used in commercials.
Company A. Le Coq & Co. dealing with beverage trade was established in Prussia in 1807 by a family bearing the same name. In 1820s, Albert L. J. Le Coq settled in London in order to trade with the products of family’s wine manor. He soon started to bottle and export under his name Russian Imperial Stout. He ordered that special dark and strong top-fermented beer from the big breweries in London where the drink was bottled especially taking into consideration the taste preferences of Russian market.
High customs duties levied in Russia and increasingly more frequent forging of the reputable trademark forced A. Le Coq & Co. (Russia) Ltd. that had been transformed into a private limited group in 1904 to move its headquarters and bottling plant from London to St. Petersburg.
The owners of A. Le Coq were looking for many years for a suitable brewery to manufacture Imperial stout in Russia, in the end Tivoli Ltd. in Tartu proved to be chosen, where the company is operating today.
Over the last 200 years A. Le Coq has passed through the hands of many owners and many managers, but the trademark itself endures. During the Soviet era the company’s name was changed to Tartu Õlletehas (Tartu Brewery), but it became A. Le Coq once again in 1997, when it was privatised by Olvi. Since then the A. Le Coq brand has been reintroduced and significant investments have made the company (and its trademark) one of the leading and most recognised brands in Estonia.
A. Le Coq’s key brands are A. Le Coq (beer), Fizz (cider), Aura (juice), Dynami:t (energy drink) Arctic (sport drinks) and Limonaad (softdrink).
The company’s largest product group comprises its beers, which are principally manufactured under the A. Le Coq trademark. The Aura trademark represents non-alcoholic drinks, including our juices, waters and healthy juice drinks, which go by the name Aura Active.
One of the best known international trademarks in the company’s portfolio is Fizz, representing a series of natural fruit and berry-flavored ciders.
The two most popular soft drinks in the company’s product portfolio are the traditional Limonaad and Kelluke, which have been sold for decades.
The company exports its products mainly to Finland, Sweden, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Latvia and Lithuania. Their main export sources are beers, ciders, long drinks and juices.
. The plans were controversial due to the drink's ethanol
content (estimated at around 0.5–0.7 percent by volume); most bottled kvas sold in Estonia is manufactured from unfermented malt
or malt extract and does not contain ethanol. Particularly contentuous was the issue of safety of fermented kvas for children.
In June 2009, A. Le Coq announced it would start selling the fermented kvas in an unbottled form.
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
n brewery. The company was founded by Albert Le Coq in London in 1807, using a brewery in Tartu
Tartu
Tartu is the second largest city of Estonia. In contrast to Estonia's political and financial capital Tallinn, Tartu is often considered the intellectual and cultural hub, especially since it is home to Estonia's oldest and most renowned university. Situated 186 km southeast of Tallinn, the...
that was founded in 1826. The company was bought in 1997 and is currently owned by Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
company Olvi
Olvi
Olvi is a Finnish brewery and soft drinks company founded in 1878. It currently holds 18.7% of Finland's market share in beverages, making it the largest Finnish-owned business in its sector. Its subsidiary, A. Le Coq, is the second largest beverage company in Estonia...
. It produces many different types of drinks including beers, long drink
Long drink
A long drink or tall drink is an alcoholic mixed drink with a relatively large volume . In Finland, the term refers to a type of premixed, ready to drink alcoholic beverage....
s, cider
Cider
Cider or cyder is a fermented alcoholic beverage made from apple juice. Cider varies in alcohol content from 2% abv to 8.5% abv or more in traditional English ciders. In some regions, such as Germany and America, cider may be termed "apple wine"...
s and soft drinks. The best known beer is the A. Le Coq Premium, which is the most popular beer in Estonia, according to the latest AC Nielsen results in October 2008. A. Le Coq Arena
A. Le Coq Arena
A. Le Coq Arena is a football stadium in Tallinn, Estonia. As well as football matches, it also hosts various concerts and events. According to the plan, the stadium is unfinished....
in Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
was named after the beer.
Its motto is "Asi on maitses", meaning it's about the taste. A song with this name by rock band Smilers
Smilers
Smilers is an Estonian rock band formed in 1991 by Hendrik Sal-Saller. The name comes from a Rod Stewart album, Smiler; first the band was named Lezer Brozers. In the early years they tried in Finland with two albums, but didn't find success, so they came to Estonia and became famous very fast....
was also specifically written and is used in commercials.
Short overview of A. Le Coq history
Direct predecessors of the oldest Estonian brewery that has been continuously operating – A. Le Coq – in Tartu are the breweries of B. J. Hesse (1800) and J. R. Schramm (1826). In course of time, a large enterprise Tivoli Ltd. formed from these companies, the owner of which called it in 1913 A. Le Coq Ltd.Company A. Le Coq & Co. dealing with beverage trade was established in Prussia in 1807 by a family bearing the same name. In 1820s, Albert L. J. Le Coq settled in London in order to trade with the products of family’s wine manor. He soon started to bottle and export under his name Russian Imperial Stout. He ordered that special dark and strong top-fermented beer from the big breweries in London where the drink was bottled especially taking into consideration the taste preferences of Russian market.
High customs duties levied in Russia and increasingly more frequent forging of the reputable trademark forced A. Le Coq & Co. (Russia) Ltd. that had been transformed into a private limited group in 1904 to move its headquarters and bottling plant from London to St. Petersburg.
The owners of A. Le Coq were looking for many years for a suitable brewery to manufacture Imperial stout in Russia, in the end Tivoli Ltd. in Tartu proved to be chosen, where the company is operating today.
Over the last 200 years A. Le Coq has passed through the hands of many owners and many managers, but the trademark itself endures. During the Soviet era the company’s name was changed to Tartu Õlletehas (Tartu Brewery), but it became A. Le Coq once again in 1997, when it was privatised by Olvi. Since then the A. Le Coq brand has been reintroduced and significant investments have made the company (and its trademark) one of the leading and most recognised brands in Estonia.
Overview of products and markets
AS A. Le Coq is Estonia’s oldest brewery and currently the country’s biggest beverage producer. Its range incorporates ten product categories: waters, syrups, juices, juice drinks, soft drinks, energy drinks and sports drinks; and three light alcoholic drinks: beers, ciders and gin long drinks.A. Le Coq’s key brands are A. Le Coq (beer), Fizz (cider), Aura (juice), Dynami:t (energy drink) Arctic (sport drinks) and Limonaad (softdrink).
The company’s largest product group comprises its beers, which are principally manufactured under the A. Le Coq trademark. The Aura trademark represents non-alcoholic drinks, including our juices, waters and healthy juice drinks, which go by the name Aura Active.
One of the best known international trademarks in the company’s portfolio is Fizz, representing a series of natural fruit and berry-flavored ciders.
The two most popular soft drinks in the company’s product portfolio are the traditional Limonaad and Kelluke, which have been sold for decades.
The company exports its products mainly to Finland, Sweden, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Latvia and Lithuania. Their main export sources are beers, ciders, long drinks and juices.
Fermented kvas controversy
In early 2009, A. Le Coq announced plans to start producing fermented kvasKvås
Kvås is a village and a former municipality in Vest-Agder county in Norway. It is located in the Lyngdalen valley in the northern part of the present-day municipality of Lyngdal. The village of Kvås is located along the river Lygna...
. The plans were controversial due to the drink's ethanol
Ethanol
Ethanol, also called ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, grain alcohol, or drinking alcohol, is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid. It is a psychoactive drug and one of the oldest recreational drugs. Best known as the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, it is also used in thermometers, as a...
content (estimated at around 0.5–0.7 percent by volume); most bottled kvas sold in Estonia is manufactured from unfermented malt
Malt
Malt is germinated cereal grains that have been dried in a process known as "malting". The grains are made to germinate by soaking in water, and are then halted from germinating further by drying with hot air...
or malt extract and does not contain ethanol. Particularly contentuous was the issue of safety of fermented kvas for children.
In June 2009, A. Le Coq announced it would start selling the fermented kvas in an unbottled form.