OREANDA-NEWS  On 26 November was announced, that the 10th anniversary awards ceremony of the "Product of the Year" competition took place in Moscow. Winners of this prestigious Russian prize in the field of consumer goods are those mass audience goods on sale in retail stores which are most popular with consumers.

In the beer category, Baltika №3 Classic was declared the winner of this prestigious award for the tenth time. The beer variety Baltika №3 has received more than 30 awards in international and national competitions. Thus, in 2008 Baltika №3 won a silver medal in Brussels at the Superior Taste Award competition established by the International Quality Institute. In addition, Baltika №3 became the only Russian brand to take a place in Michael Rudolf’s book of ‘100 best beer varieties in the world.’

In the words of Denis Sherstennikov, Vice President of Marketing at Baltika Breweries, "the brand owes its success to its being constantly developed. Baltika Breweries does not just produce a product of the highest quality but continually works at introducing innovations, thereby creating the standards of quality on the Russian beer market."

Baltika №3 beer was first launched in 1992 and since the middle of the 1990s it has traditionally been the most popular beer among Russians. Among the domestic brands there is no other which has for so long and so successfully been present on the market. According to data from the agency Business Analytica, in August 2008 the brand’s share in the medium priced segment amounted to 19.1%, which allowed it to remain the undisputed leader in its niche. The highest level of distribution for food products held by Baltika Breweries (98%) makes Baltika №3 accessible to consumers across the entire country. Today Baltika №3 Classic is exported to 41 countries around the world. Moreover, licensed production of this beer variety has been arranged in Ukraine and in Uzbekistan.

The ‘Product of the Year’ prize is awarded in categories of food products and for products of daily demand. The categories are selected based on products that are most frequently purchased in retail stores. In the course of the year, the rating agency of the National Commercial Association (NCA) carries out a monthly polling of experts — 500 leaders of the sales departments of the largest retail enterprises of Russia from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Ekaterinburg, Omsk, Novosibirsk, Arkhangelsk, Chelyabinsk, Volgograd, Rostov-on-Don, Kazan, Vladivostok and Khabarovsk. The criterion for evaluating a given product is the volume of SKUs sold. In addition, the results of the rating are confirmed by the expert council of the NCA. The organisers of the prize are the National Commercial Association, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Russian Federation, the Moscow International Business Association and the magazine Novosti Torgovli.