JSC Efes Karaganda brewery
Efes Karaganda Brewery JSC FE is a part of the multinational conglomerate – Efes Beverage Group, which consists of 30 companies specializing in production and sales of beer, soft drinks, malt and hops in Turkey, Eastern Europe and the CIS countries. Efes Beverage Group is one of the first foreign investors in Kazakhstan. In 1995 the Group invested in the reconstruction of Coca-Cola Almaty Bottlers plant, and in 1997 it privatized the Karaganda brewery, which has existed since 1958. On the basis of this brewery Efes Beverage Group has established a new enterprise – Efes Karaganda brewery Joint-Stock Company Foreign Enterprise.
Starting from 1998 the Karaganda brewery has experienced a multistage reconstruction process. The obsolete equipment was replaced with an up-to-date model; a beer-filling line with the capacity of 24,000 bottles per hour was installed. In 2001 the beer fermentation and maturation division was completely renovated. At the same time the company renewed the beer piping system, installed 6 new beer bright tanks, renovated the yeast department, and installed a KEG-filling line. In 2000-2002 the brewery received new laboratory equipment costing over USD 100,000. This allowed to make more accurate and profound analyses of raw materials and finished products. The company also constructed a boiler house, installed water treatment and CO2-recovery plants. The air and ammoniac compressors were replaced with the new ones as well.
As a result of these measures in 2002 the Karaganda plant reached its maximum beer output over the whole period of its existence: 44 million litres with the annual capacity of 53 million litres. It became the leading brewery of Kazakhstan with the market share exceeding 20%.
The leading brand of the company, Karagandinkoe, is currently brand number one in Kazakhstan in terms of sales volume. It has already won several prestigious awards, including the Gold Medal of the International Fair Exhibition Beer Industry 2002 in Moscow and the Brand 2003 award in the beer category of the Kazakhstan Brand of the Year Contest. The full-flavoured beer taste, modern package design, extended storage period (6 months) and flexible pricing policy make this product so competitive. This year the Karaganda brewery started producing new “Karagandinskoe” brand extensions – “Karagandinskoe Dark” and “Karagandinskoe Strong”.
Since 2001 Efes Karaganda brewery has started distributing Stary Melnik beer, a popular Russian beer brand produced by Moscow Efes brewery. This brand is already known in 10 countries of the world, and it has got high appreciation at various international contests. Among the awards of this brand are the Silver Medal of the 40th World Beer and Soft Drinks Contest Monde Selection in Brussels, the Brand 2000 award in the beer brand launch category in Russia and the Golden Drum award of the European Contest for the Best Advertising Campaign in mass media.
In recent years the sales of the Karaganda brewery increased to an extent that the capacity of the brewery is no longer adequate. In October 2001 the company started construction of a new brewery not far from Almaty City, in Bereke settlement of Karasay District. In September 2003 the new brewery started producing the Karagandinkoe brand enjoyed by many people in Kazakhstan. In the near future it is planned to produce international premium brands such as Efes Pilsener and Stary Melnik. The total investments in the new brewery reached USD 25 million. The planned production capacity is 60 million litres per year. The new enterprise provides employment to 235 people, and each job creates ten additional jobs in associated production. The new brewery will allow Efes Karaganda brewery not only to dominate in Kazakhstan but to open up new prospects for developing exports to the countries of Central Asia.
