The Czech Republic & Australia: Budweiser Budvar starts exporting its pale lager in kegs to Australia

Budweiser Budvar has dispatched the first shipment of its pale lager in kegs to Australia, overall containing 144 KEG barrels of 30-litre volume each, the Czech brewer reported earlier this month.

The delivery is going to take about 6 weeks. For the time being, ten selected restaurants in Sydney and Melbourne are going to sell draught Budvar from mid-July. The price of a draught half a litre will range around AUD7.

“Starting to export keg beer to Australia represents an important milestone for us. Despite the fact that our export there has been increasing in recent years, keg beer has been missing in the supply until now. In cooperation with the importer, we have now managed to enter into trade agreements with exclusive bars and restaurants, which will also be offering a draught option of our lager to local beer connoisseurs,” says Budweiser Budvar’s export manager for Australia Tomáš Bártů.

Budweiser Budvar has been exporting its bottled pale lager to Australia since 2004. The 2008 export to Australia reached the volume of 2,300 hectolitres, while this year’s sales should advance towards the 3,000 hectolitre limit.

Budweiser Budvar, N.C. brewery has long been one of the most successful Czech foodstuff companies. Nearly half of its production is exported to more than 50 countries worldwide.

Budweiser Budvar’s sales increased by 4.5 % in 2008 to1,312,580 hectolitres of beer. The brewery’s 2007 gross profit annually grew by 13% onto the total of CZK302 million. Since 1991, about CZK3,500 million has been invested into the modernization and development of the brewery.

24 June, 2009