Security and tourism are behind his decision Carlsberg Group bring to Hellas production of the beer brand of the same name to meet the needs of the domestic market, as well as important foreign markets, from South America to the Middle East. For several weeks now, in one of the two factories of the Greek branch of the Danish group, Olympic Brewery – and specifically at the Sindos facility in Thessaloniki – the production of Carlsberg beer in cans, as well as all types of kegs, has been launched, which is expected to increase sales in Greece both in the supermarket channel and in focus.

Recall that until today in Greece Carlsberg was sold in a 330 ml glass bottle, and imports were carried out mainly from Serbia, where they are produced at the brewery of the group’s subsidiary Carlsberg Srbija.

At the Sindos facility, Carlsberg will be produced in 330 ml and 500 ml cans, as well as all types of kegs (Draught Master Flex & Modular and metal kegs).

The production of Carlsberg beer has already begun at the Thessaloniki plant of the Greek subsidiary of the Danish group Olympic Brewery.

The Olympic Brewery division will serve not only the Greek market, but also other non-locally produced markets in the group, including South America, the Middle East and Africa. “This is an extremely important event for the brewing industry, which also entails the modernization of the Sindos production unit, which is currently being transformed into a production and export center with great prospects and, accordingly, a new investment plan in terms of management. more raw materials and production materials, ”the company’s message emphasizes.

How did the Carlsberg group come to this decision? As sources in the company told Katimerini, after the pandemic and geopolitical events in Europe, a new design of the structure and organization of the production of the group was carried out and a decision was made to further modernize the Sindos plant. In other words, Greece is seen as a region of Southeast Europe, where the political and economic conditions ensure the smooth operation of the production process. The great development of tourism also plays a decisive role, since it contributes greatly to beer sales, especially in the so-called “cold market” (restaurant-hotel channel), where profit margins are much higher. Recall that the group owns 8 breweries in Russia, from which, however, on March 9, 2022, it announced its desire to completely get rid of.

However, it is worth noting that the transfer to Greece of the production of the group’s brands that were not previously produced in the country was part of the group’s intentions back in 2014, when the Carlsberg group acquired 51% of Olympic Brewery (which had previously resumed production of FIX beer), the intentions of the then managing director “Mythos Brewery” (subsidiary of Carlsberg in Greece) Al. Karafillidis. Recall that in 2018 the Danish group acquired the remaining 49% of Olympic Brewery. Olympic Brewery’s investment in the period 2018-2021 is 26 million euros, and in the period 2022-2026 it is estimated at 35-40 million euros.

In 2021, Olympic Brewery generated sales of €141.54 million, and in 2022 the company achieved double-digit growth above the market average.