E-Malt.com News article: Estonia: A. le Coq brewer starts to sell beer aimed at Russian-speaking customers

Estonian brewer A. Le Coq announced on February, 2 that it has started to sell Belarusian beer Lidskoe Premium which is especially brewed for Russian-speaking consumers.

The company’s goal is to achieve a 50% market share in the Slavic beer segment in Estonia.

According to Tarmo Noop, the Manager of A. Le Coq, imported beers have approximately 6% market share in Estonia, and the majority of those beers originate from Slavic countries. Up until now there were no Slavic-type beers in A. Le Coq product range. "Due to the increasing demand for Slavic beers, this segment holds 40% of the whole imported beer market. This is why we wanted to launch a beer that has a bigger potential among the consumers." Noop believes that Lidskoe will become popular in Estonia and predicts a 50% market share in the Slavic beer segment.

Noop added that as the leading beer manufacturer in Estonia, it is the obligation of A. Le Coq to take into consideration different taste preferences and offer a large variety to their consumers.

"Our Russian-speaking consumers have a different taste preference compared to Estonians. And as the Russian population in Estonia is quite numerous, we believe that Lidskoe beer will appeal to those who have not yet found their favourite from among our existing portfolio," said Noop.

Stanislav Ventsel, the First Secretary of the Embassy of the Republic of Belarus in Estonia, said that it is only positive that A. Le Coq is importing Belarusian beer to Estonia. "Lidskoe is one of the oldest beer brands in Belarus and it will most certainly contribute to the choice of beers that are sold in Estonia," said Ventsel. Ventsel believes in the success of Lidskoe Premium in Estonia thanks to the supporting marketing and distribution skills of A. Le Coq.

Lidskoe Premium is a light Belarusian beer, with alcohol content 4,8%. The beer is bottled in 0.5 litre golden cans and the recommended retail price is 0.69 €. The marketing activities of Lidskoe Premium are targeted to the Russian-speaking audience only.

Lidskoe Pivo is one of the oldest beer factories in Belarus established in 1876. Finnish enterprise OLVI OYi holds 91.6% in Lidskoe Pivo.


04 February, 2011