Apatin Brewery

Foundation and early years

It was founded in 1756 as Imperial Brewery owned by the Imperial Chamber. It is one of the oldest breweries in Serbia. The production of 12,000 hectoliters of beer was recorded in the 18th century. The brewery was transferred to private ownership for the first time at the end of the 19th century. Major investments were characteristic of that phase, with a primary goal of modernizing the brewing process and enlarging production capacities. In the period prior to World War I, the yearly production of beer was 16,000 hectoliters.

20th century

The brewery went through hard times in 1930s, which ultimately led to the disruption of production in 1935. Nine years later, after the liberation of Belgrade in the World War II and reparation of the old equipment, a new phase of the company began. By 1950, more than 40,000 hectoliters of beer were produced. Continuous investments resulted in the reconstruction and modernization of the production facilities and the application of new technologies in the production process and the increase in the beer production capacities. All this was conducted in the period 1958–1966 and it represented a basis for further development of the brewery and transformation into large company.

In the 1970s, the process of automated production lines was introduced, the result of which was production over 630,000 hectoliters of beer in 1977, as well as the introduction of new non-alcoholic beverages tasting of orange, lemon, blueberry and Alpine herbs. The result of the economic sanctions in the 1990s was a brief period of decrease in the brewery production, so that 475,000 hectoliters of beer was produced yearly.

Transition period

The company began transferring into the private ownership in 1991, and in 2003 it became a part of the international InterBrew network which merged in 2005 in InBev corporation. Over three years, InBew invested around 100 million euros in technology of the company. In 2008, the company became a part of Anheuser-Busch InBev. In December 2009, Apatin Brewery became a part of the StarBev regional brewery group based in Prague, founded by a leading investment company CVC Capital Partners. Except Serbia, the group operated on the markets of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Montenegro, Romania and Slovakia. As of 2009, StarBev Group produced 14.4 million hl of beer.

Molson Coors takeover

On 3 April 2012, Molson Coors brewing company has completed its previously announced acquisition of StarBev for approximately €2.65 billion euros. This way, Molson Coors took over the regional brewing group Starbev, as part of which Apatin Brewery in Serbia has been operating. Since then, Mark Hunter, chief executive of Molson Coors UK & Ireland business, served as chief executive of the new business unit, which has been renamed to Molson Coors Central Europe.

Today, it is the leading brewery on the Serbian market.

Advertising

Apatin Brewery is known for its slogans for each of its brands: Jelen Pivo – "Men know why"; Jelen Cool – "Anytime, anywhere"; Nikšićko Pivo – "Always among friends"; Beck’s – "Deliberately different". According to the results of a 2009 study of TNS Medium Gallup, Apatin Brewery ranked third in Serbia in advertising and overall business results.

Branding

Brands operated by Apatin Brewery are: Jelen pivo, Apatinsko pivo, Jelen Cool, Jelen Fresh, Staropramen, Beck's, Stella Artois, Nikšićko pivo and Nikšićko tamno. Jelen pivo is the leading beer brand on the Serbian market, and has its share in the regional countries.

Sponsorships

Apatin Brewery is the sponsor of the Jelen Super League of Serbia, Jelen Live Festival, Beck'sperience, Guča Trumpet Festival and others.