E-Malt.com Flash 21a. May 23

Russia: SUN Interbrew may get involved in Siberian beer market

SUN Interbrew, Russia’s second largest brewing company, is considering a possible involvement in the Siberian beer market...more info

Colombia: World Bank’s subsidiary acquired a 0.92% stake in Bavaria

The Corporación Financiera Internacional (IFC), a subsidiary of the World Bank, has become the owner of 0.92 % of Colombian brewery...more info

Denmark: Danish brewery workers strike against beer drinking restrictions

Danish brewery workers have gone on strike to keep the right to drink beer on the job, Deutsche Presse-Agentur posted on May 25.

Workers at a brewery west of the Danish capital decided Tuesday to stay on strike after restrictions were imposed about where they would be allowed to taste the brewery's products. Some 70 of the 200 workers went on strike Monday at the Harboe brewery in Skaelskor.

More than 90 % of the employees voted to continue the strike at a union meeting on Tuesday, broadcaster DR said.

The protest was aimed a decision by management and union representatives saying that workers would in future be restricted to tasting beer and other products in the brewery's canteen and not in the production or bottling section of the brewery.

Some workers were also disgruntled with how union representatives had handled ongoing wage talks. According to brewery rules, workers are allowed to drink six beers or other beverages a day.

UK: Wolverhampton & Dudley's offer for Jennings Brothers was declared unconditional

Jennings Brothers PLC announced that the Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries PLC holds 76.01% in the company, representing 8,098,738 ordinary shares.

Wolverhampton & Dudley’s offer at 430 pence per share for smaller Lake District rival Jennings Brothers was declared unconditional last week.

The addition of Jennings' 128 tenanted pubs takes W&D's total to 2,275 - marginally ahead of the 2,100 pubs owned or operated by its Suffolk-based peer Greene King.

While both groups continue to sell ale brands with strong regional loyalties through their respective pub estates and elsewhere, a recent spate of acquisitions have seen the groups expand far beyond their respective "regional brewer" heartlands.

The £46m Jennings offer follows W&D's recent acquisitions of Burtonwood, for £155m, and Wizard Inns, for £90m. ...more info

Canada: Retail sales in Ontario increased by 4.6% in 2004

Ontario's retailers recorded C$10.46 billion in sales in March 2005, up from exactly C$10.00 billion in March 2004...more info

Malt News

Ukraine: Malt production in April increased with 7,600 metric tonnes versus April 2004

In April 2005 Ukraine produced about 28,000 metric tonnes of malt that is an increase by 37% compared to April 2004...more info

Ireland: Greencore’s sales increased by 2% in H1. The Malt division is consolidating production

Irish food group Greencore has reported pre-tax profits before exceptional items and goodwill of €32.6m for the six months to March 25, an increase of 8% on the same period a year earlier.

Sales were up 2% to €677.3m after sales from discontinued businesses were stripped out, and the company warned that market conditions were 'challenging'.

The company's convenience food division performed strongly, with underlying sales up 8% and underlying profits up 23%. Greencore said the division was operating in an increasingly competitive market, with pressure on prices and higher quality requirements from customers.

Sales in the ingredients and agribusiness division fell by 8% in the first half, with profits down from €20m to €15.3m. Greencore said the fall in sales was due to lower sugar sales and the closure of some operations in its malt division. The company said there was an EU-wide oversupply of sugar this year, leading to increased price competition. Higher fuel costs added an extra €2m to costs in this division in the period.

The group is facing reform of the EU sugar regime, with the Commission having made proposals for quota and price reductions last year and a final decision expected by the end of the year. ...more info

Barley News

Spain: Spanish barley production for 2005/2006

Spain Ministry of Agriculture estimated the barley production for 2005/2006 at 7.95 million metric tonnes...more info

Hops News

USA: Hops growing reappears in New York State again

Hops, one of the main ingredients for brewing beer, reappears in New York Sate again. Hops used to be one of the New York State's major crops, but about 50 years ago farmers stopped growing the crop.

"Prohibition was really the final nail in the coffin for hops. We did go through a lot of disease problems with the verticillium, wilt and the molds and fungal attacks, in the early 1900's," said Cornell University agriculture development specialist, Duncan Hilchey.

With help from Cornell University and the Northeast Hop Alliance, the hops industry may be brewing again.

The Pederson Farms in Seneca Castle grew a test plot, and one local brewery can't get enough of them. "There is one grower that we know that is successfully growing hops. And we bought his entire crop last year. I don't know what his numbers were the year before but we bought virtually all of it the year before. And we have committed to buying his entire crop this year which like I said 10 times what he grew last year," said the owner of the Ithaca Beer Co., Dan Mitchell. ...more info