OREANDA-NEWS. JSC Latvijas Balzams (LB) in our Baltic Beverages Unit has been awarded nine medals in two prestigious industry competitions in the USA - the San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2014 and Las Vegas Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America Annual Convention.

"Our achievements in these competitions are a significant achievement in pursuit of the corporate export plans," says Guntis Aboltins-Abolins, Board Chairman of JSC Latvijas Balzams. He strongly believes that this opens new opportunities for the company in widening its exports to the USA as well as effecting new deals with distributors and wholesalers.

LB brands received four medals at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2014, which took place last month - gold to Riga Black Balsam, silver to Riga Black Balsam Element and Riga Black Vodka and bronze to Riga Black Balsam Currant.

Last week, representatives of JSC Latvijas Balzams took part in the large-scale Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America Annual Convention in Las Vegas, which gathered American alcoholic beverage distributors and suppliers from all around the world for the 71st year. LB brought 5 medals home from Las Vegas: double gold for Riga Black Balsam Currant; silver to the classic version of Riga Black Balsam and Riga Black Balsam Element, Riga Black Vodka, and Moka Coffee. At its stand, the company presented the Riga Black Balsam line of beverages, liqueurs, vodkas and other new brands specifically created for export.

"The USA is one of our key strategic markets and currently represents 2% of the direct exports portfolio of Latvijas Balzams. Our ambition is to increase this percentage several times over in the next few years. We are already exporting Riga Black Balsam and Riga Black Balsam Currant to the United States where, according to the results of the competition, they are highly appreciated among the professionals. The participation in the competition in Las Vegas is valuable not only for the five medals, but also for several new cooperation projects we have already started working on," emphasises Valters Kaze, Commercial Director of LB.

Last year, the brands of Latvijas Balzams also won similar success at the Los Angeles International Spirits Competition 2013 and New York Wine & Spirits Competition 2013.