Czech Republic: Podkovan brewery’s beer sales increased 4 % in2004

The Podkovan brewery, one of the oldest Czech beer maker, saw its output of beer increased 4% to 21.5 thousand hl in 2004, according to Interfax. Company’s sales of drinking water climed 131 % to 35.6 thousand hl. Exports accounted for 1.5 % of sales in 2004. The company has started exporting to Israel, Russia, and Germany.

The Podkovan brewery expects its sales of beer and drinking water to rise this year. Although domestic sales remain the company's primary focus, company’s management hopes as well to increase its exports. Talks on shipments to the US and Canada are under way.

Podkovan brewery, which now employs about 50 workers, was created in 1434. It saw its highest annual output -100,000 hl - in the late '80s, early '90s. Production stopped in early 1997, but the brewer was then taken over by the A+C Company. That firm went bankrupt in 2003, and Lora Viktoria acquired the brewery.

24 April, 2005