Baltic Beverages Holding
Encyclopedia
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Brewing
Brewing is the production of beer through steeping a starch source in water and then fermenting with yeast. Brewing has taken place since around the 6th millennium BCE, and archeological evidence suggests that this technique was used in ancient Egypt...
industry in Russia, Ukraine, the Baltic countries and Kazakhstan, most notably holding a controlling stake in Baltika Breweries. The company markets a range of beer brand
Brand
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
s from 19 breweries, ten of which are in Russia, four in the Baltic countries, three in Ukraine, one in Kazakhstan and one in Uzbekistan. The company was a 50-50 joint venture
Joint venture
A joint venture is a business agreement in which parties agree to develop, for a finite time, a new entity and new assets by contributing equity. They exercise control over the enterprise and consequently share revenues, expenses and assets...
between Carlsberg and Scottish & Newcastle
Scottish & Newcastle
Scottish & Newcastle plc was a "long alcoholic drinks" company with positions in 15 countries, including UK, France and Russia. It was headquartered in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. In the last 20 years, S&N expanded significantly from its home base to become an international business with beer...
prior to Carlsberg's April 2008 acquisition of S&N.
A Harvard Business School case study was written about the company in 2010.
Aldaris Brewery
Founded in 1865 in RigaRiga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
, Aldaris employs more than 400 workers, and is the biggest brewery in Latvia. It brews a range of beers, mostly pale lager
Pale lager
Pale lager is a very pale to golden-coloured beer with a well attenuated body and a varying degree of noble hop bitterness. The brewing process for this beer developed in the mid 19th century when Gabriel Sedlmayr took pale ale brewing techniques back to the Spaten Brewery in Germany and applied it...
s. The most popular brands include Luksus, Zelta, Gaišais (Light beer), Pilzenes (Pilsner) and Porteris.
Utenos Alus Brewery
Utenos Alus is a LithuaniaLithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n brewery
Brewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
, established in Utena
Utena, Lithuania
Utena is a city in north-east Lithuania. It is the administrative center of Utena district and Utena County. Utena is one of the oldest settlements of Lithuania. The name of the city is most probably derived from a hydronym. The name of the settlement has been known since 1261.Utena is an...
in 1977.
Utenos alus and Švyturys breweries merged into joint-stock company Švyturys-Utenos alus in 2001. On February 2003 the company was reorganised into a closed-end company.
Švyturys Brewery
Švyturys is a brewery in KlaipėdaKlaipeda
Klaipėda is a city in Lithuania situated at the mouth of the Nemunas River where it flows into the Baltic Sea. It is the third largest city in Lithuania and the capital of Klaipėda County....
, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
. It is part of Švyturys-Utenos alus.
The brewery was established in 1784 by the merchant J. W. Reincke in Klaipėda, then known as Memel in East Prussia
East Prussia
East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...
. After the creation of the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
, the brewery became part of Memeler Aktien-Brauerei & Destillation on September 15, 1871. It passed to Lithuanian control when the Memel Territory
Klaipėda Region
The Klaipėda Region or Memel Territory was defined by the Treaty of Versailles in 1920 when it was put under the administration of the Council of Ambassadors...
was annexed by Lithuania in 1923. The brewery was then administered by Memeler Ostquell Brauerei GmbH in 1940 after the territory's annexation by Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
the preceding year. After the restoration of Klaipėda to Lithuanian SSR
Lithuanian SSR
The Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Lithuanian SSR, was one of the republics that made up the former Soviet Union...
in 1945 following the Second World War, the brewery again became Lithuanian.
Švyturys and Utenos alus breweries merged into the joint-stock company Švyturys-Utenos alus in 2001. In February 2003 the company was reorganised into a closed-end company.
Currently Carlsberg Breweries controls Švyturys-Utenos alus through Baltic Beverages Holding.
In June 2000 Švyturio Ekstra beer received Silver award in Dortmunder/European Export category at World Beer Cup silver. Same brand won Gold medal in Dortmunder beer category at World Beer Championship (USA) in November 2001.
In 2002 Švyturys Baltijos beer was awarded Bronze award at World Beer Cup in Marzen/Octoberfest category.
Kalnapilis Brewery
After Norwegian company Orkla merged with Carlsberg in 2001 BBH became the dominant beer producer in Lithuania, controlling the three largest breweries in Lithuania (KalnapilisKalnapilis
Kalnapilis is a Lithuanian brewery, established by Albert Foight in Panevėžys in 1902. A landowner of German origin, Foight named the brewery "Bergschlösschen", meaning a small castle on the hill...
, Švyturys and Utenos alus) so it was ordered by the Council of Competition of Lithuania to sell one of those three companies.
In 2001 Kalnapilis was sold to Royal Unibrew
Royal Unibrew
Royal Unibrew is the second largest brewery group in Denmark, selling under the brands Ceres, Faxe and Albani, although their best selling beer is marketed as Royal...
.