OREANDA-NEWS. Last week Baltika beer took advantage of its special popularity among residents of North America and participated simultaneously in several outstanding events that were going on in the USA and Canada, reported the press-centre of Baltika Breweries.

Over the course of two days, guests at one of the most important specialised events of the beer industry the 70th annual commercial fair held under the aegis of the The National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) on October 2-3 in Las Vegas, Nevada, had a chance to sample Baltika beer. Traditionally the NBWA brings together producers of beer, packaging and equipment; representatives of the retail store chains, journalists and lawyers from all over the world who are working on issues of beer production. A total of 3,500 people came to congratulate the Association on its anniversary this year. More than 250 companies presented their products at the exhibition. The only Russian-produced beer that they could become acquainted with at the exhibition was that provided by Baltika.

The NBWA was founded in 1939. At present there are more than 2,200 independent beer wholesalers from various states who are members of the Association. According to data supplied by the Association, average annual consumption of beer in the USA amounts to around 3 billion decalitres, and the country holds first place in the world in terms of volume of the foamy beverage that it produces. According to statistics, beer is consumed by more than 90 million adult Americans.

This was the second time that Baltika Breweries was taking part in the NBWA. The first time was in 2005. The Company presented beer from the Baltika brand line-up, as well as Zhigulevskoye and Arsenalnoye. By the end of the exhibition, agreements were reached on distribution of the Russian beer through distributors of states in the central and southern parts of the USA.

Thirty percent of Baltika’s sales in the USA are made up by the Baltika № 9 Extra brand, which enjoys popularity not only among the Russian-speaking population of the country, but also among Americans. The main consumers of Baltika products are residents of the states of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, California and Florida. During the first half of 2007, some 800,000 litres of Baltika beer were sold in the USA.

At the horse races in the Rideau Carlton race course in Ottawa, Canada, the evening of October 4 was dedicated to Russian culture. Visitors to the races could try traditional dishes of Russian cuisine and also drink Russian beer, Baltika №3 Classic.

During 2007, the geography of sales of Baltika Breweries in Canada has become broader-based and now the beer is available in the Province of British Columbia. By the end of the year, Baltika will appear in the Province of Alberta. During the first half of 2007, more than 80,000 litres of Baltika beer were sold in Canada.

On October 4 - 7, another important event for the local Russian community took place in Toronto, Canada - the first festival of Russian cinema in Canada, called the Kino-Art Festival (KAF). During the course of the three days of the festival, spectators were shown full-length Russian films, including such well-known works as Zhivoy (film director Alexander Veledinsky), Svyaz (director, Dina Smirnova), Izobrazhaya zhertvu (director, Kirill Serebrennikov), as well as the best examples of contemporary Russian animated films. Baltika Breweries was the official partner of the event. Baltika advertising videos were played before every showing of Russian feature films and the Company’s products were available for purchase both during the festival in the Toronto Centre for the Arts, Stage Theatre and Royal Cinema, as well as during the topical after-parties at such popular Toronto clubs as Mana Bar and Bar Italia. About 1,700 people visited the festival events in which Baltika participated and 400 litres of Baltika № 3 was consumed over the 3 days.

The first deliveries of Baltika to America were made in the year 2000. Now the whole product line-up of the Baltika brand, as well as Arsenalnoye, Yarpivo, Leningradskoye, Zhigulevskoye and the regional beer Don are exported to the countries of the New World. Considering the requirements of local legislation, a special label with Latin-lettered logotype of BALTIKA was developed for the Americans.