Czech classic sees boom in export sales
Added: Thursday, January 9th 2014
The Czech Budweiser Budvar brewery produced 1.424 million hectolitres of beer in 2013, a year-on-year grow of 6.2% and the highest volume in its 118 year history. The brewery exported a record 763,000 hectolitres last year, 106,000 more compared to 2012. Exports went to 65 countries. The company's revenue from beer sales rose by 94 million Czech Croiwns year-on-year to an all-time high of 223 billion in 2013.
"We consider last year's business results an achievement because they are considerably better than the overall results of the Czech brewing industry," chief executive Jiri Bocek said.
"In a number of areas we achieved the best results in the entire history of our brewery," Bocek added. Overall Czech production fell by 1.5% Januiary-October 2013, while Czech exports rose by 4.6% over the same periiod, according to the Czech Beer and Malt Association.
Budvar has been able to increase the number of countries where it can use its trademarks Budweiser Budvar and Czechvar. This helps the brewery increase sales in its export territories as well as to raise the value of the entire company.
The brewer exported its beer to 65 countries last year, seven more than in 2012 and the highest number in its history. In 1991, for example, Budvar exported to just 18 countries.
In 2000 to 2012, a total of 173 trademark court disputes and administrative proceedings were closed, of which Budvar won 120 cases agaisnt Anheuser-Busch, the American brewer of Budweiser, now AB InBev. Ten disputes ended in a settlement or in deadlock..
Last year Budvarr won a dispute over the trademark in Italy, which enabled the return of the beer under the original name on the Italian market. The victory is likely to help Budva increase sales in Italy. Budvar also won court cases in Portugal and Britain in 2013.
The company also received several awards for the quality of its beer. They included a gold medal for pale lager in the Monde Selection competition and a gold award in the Wrodl Beer Awards for Bud Premier Select.
*Top, brewmaster Josef Toalr inspects the bottling line. Below, a Belle epoque poster for the beer.
