September the 23rd, 2022 - The Zagreb Brewery (Zagrebacka pivovara) recently presented its brand new Zapresic logistics centre, into which they've invested close to 18 million kuna.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the Zagreb Brewery presented its impressive recent investment in a new logistics centre, which will also double up as a distribution and commercial centre in Zapresic near the City of Zagreb.

The investment that was presented in the form of the new Zapresic logistics centre is a continuation of this well known company's wider investment cycle in the expansion of its overall production and storage capacities.

"Our new investment cycle marked this very important year for us, in which we celebrate 130 years of existence," said the President of the Management Board of the Zagreb Brewery, Miroslav Holjevac.

This year's investment cycle, he said, is important because it increases competitiveness on the market and the quality of customer service. He also noted that back in June this year, an investment of an even higher 64 million kuna was presented in the form of a technologically advanced line for filling and packing cans in their production facility in Zagreb.

The investment in this new Zapresic logisitcs centre has worked to successfully expand the company's logistics areas and covered storage areas as well as a truck terminal, which will ensure a safer and easier flow of traffic.

Additional storage areas necessary due to the increased production capacity and new product range have also been secured. 5,400 square metres of storage halls and an additional 9,000 square metres of external logistics areas were constructed, including a brand new truck terminal.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated business section.

June 15, 2022 - Zagrebačka pivovara has invested a total of HRK 64 million in a technologically advanced line for filling and packaging cans.

The investment in a technologically advanced line will fully satisfy the constant growth of market demand for canned beer in the Zagreb production plant, further increase the company's sustainability, the competitiveness of domestic production, and offer consumers new formats and multipacks of cans. It is part of the large investment cycle of Zagrebačka pivovara in the expansion of production and storage capacities with which the leading Croatian beer producer is celebrating its jubilee year and the 130th birthday of the company.

''As a market leader, we are celebrating our celebratory year with numerous gatherings with loyal consumers and large investments that will enable an increase in production capacity. The introduction of state-of-the-art technology will make it easier for us to protect the quality of the finished product, and enable us to increase the competitiveness of Zagrebačka pivovara on the FMCG market and within our Molson Coors Group. With the newly installed can line, we will fully meet the required filling capacities to meet the increased needs of the market. Congratulations to the team on the realization of this great project, but also on the 130th anniversary, we are taking great steps forward.", said Miroslav Holjevac, President of the Management Board of Zagrebačka pivovara.

The total investment of HRK 64 million relates to new equipment for filling and packing cans and construction work that was needed to adjust the production plant in Zagreb's Ilica 224 for the installation of a new line. Namely, due to limited space, the new line for cans is distributed on as many as four floors, which makes it unique in this production plant. The introduction of state-of-the-art technology with the new can filling line significantly reduces both energy consumption and the company's carbon footprint on the environment. Sustainable development is one of the priorities of Zagrebačka pivovara's business.

“We invested in the new can filling line last year and in the first half of this year, and we found a project partner in a long-standing and reliable partner, the German company Krones, one of the largest suppliers of packaging equipment in the process industry. In just two months, the teams of Zagrebačka pivovara and Krones have put together a lineup for its functional commissioning. It was demanding, but we are very proud of the result.", said Dubravko Tome, director of production and logistics operations of Zagrebačka pivovara.

Numerous distinguished guests gathered at yesterday's celebration of the 130th birthday of Zagreb Brewery and the presentation of the investment, including the Mayor of Zagreb Tomislav Tomašević, Deputy Mayor Danijela Dolenec, Canadian Ambassador Alan Bowman, Czech Ambassador Milan Hovorka, US Head of Mission in Croatia Mark Fleming and many others.

Mayor Tomislav Tomašević congratulated all the workers and the entire Management of Zagrebačka pivovara on the 130th anniversary of its existence. He especially praised investing in new investments in these challenging times. "I believe that this investment will not only increase production, but also provide new jobs, and the City of Zagreb will always be a partner in such investments.", said Mayor Tomasevic.

The entire investment cycle of Zagrebačka pivovara is planned for the next two years, followed by a major investment in the modernization of the line for filling returnable glass bottles, which will further increase productivity and diversify different bottle formats.

For more, check out our business section.

November the 26th, 2021 - The well known Zagreb Brewery (Zagrebacka pivovara) is set to start producing one of the world's most popular beer brands as of next year, which is sure to delight many.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Lucija Spiljak writes, Diageo, the world's leading premium beverage company, producer of Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff and Guinness, has announced a partnership with Zagreb Brewery, a member of the Molson Coors Beverage Company, to distribute Diago's beer portfolio across the Republic of Croatia starting on January the 1st next year.

For Diageo, the strategic partnership with Molson Coors will help the Guinness and Kilkenny brands to market even more rapidly with the strong presence of the Zagreb Brewery's distribution channels here in Croatia.

"We're pleased to be able to announce our new partnership with Molson Coors in Eastern Europe. We're going to continue to develop our marketing strategy and we believe that this collaboration will help us significantly increase the availability of our beer brands. We look forward to the opportunities and growth we can achieve together with Molson Coors in Croatia with our brands and future innovations,'' said Michael Holm, the Diageo CEO for Eastern Europe.

Sergey Yeskov, CEO of Molson Coors Beverage Company for Central and Eastern Europe, said they want to expand their portfolio to allow them to offer premium brands. They also want to find partners with the same values ​​as Molson Coors, who, as he pointed out, are “rooted in quality, workmanship and heritage”.

“We're excited and proud that we're going to be able to distribute these two global Diage brand icons here in Croatia. We will continue to invest in products that are more than premium and use our distribution network to bring Guinness and Kilkenny, which perfectly complement our great portfolio, closer to beer lovers across the country,'' said Yeskov.

Guinness is a very well known dark Irish stout created at the Arthur Guinness Brewery in St. Louis. James’s Gate, in Dublin back in 1759. It is one of the world's most successful alcohol brands, produced in almost 50 countries and available in more than 120 countries of the world. Kilkenny is also an Irish beer produced by Guinness, which originates from Kilkenny in Ireland.

For more, check out our business section.

November the 7th, 2021 - The former director of the much loved Zagreb Brewery, Sergey Yeskov, is set to spread his wings and become the director of the Molson Coors Beverage company. With this professional move, the ex Zagreb Brewery director, originally from Ukraine, is branching out from Croatia to Europe.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, former Zagreb Brewery director Sergey Yeskov is set to become the president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Molson Coors Beverage, the owner of the aforementioned Croatian brewery, for the whole of Europe. With this, Yeskov is stepping down from his position as director of Molson Coors for operations in Central and Eastern Europe and spreading further. The current president and CEO for Europe - Simon Cox, will retire on January the 1st, 2022, the Zagreb Brewery announced.

"Sergey's comprehensive experience, gained around the world in various positions, will be a great contribution not only to our European team, but also to the overall global business," said Gavin Hattersley, President and CEO of Molson Coors, adding that ''under Sergey's leadership, Molson Coors will continue to advance the company for the benefit of employees and business in Europe."

Ukrainian by birth, Yeskov has built an enviable career in this British brewery, which is also among the world's largest - he was the president and CEO of Molson Coors International in America, overseeing business operations in India, Africa, Latin America and Japan. He was also the General Manager of Sales and Sales at Molson Coors Canada, and he is also remembered right here in Croatia, because he ran Molson Coors here and in neighbouring Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was the President of the Management Board of the Croatian beer leader, the producer of Ozujsko and a number of other brands (and representatives of other labels from the Molson Coors portfolio), for a full decade, from 2006 to October 2016.

On the other hand, his predecessor at the helm of the company in Europe - the Brit Simon Cox, has worked in the beer industry for more than 30 years, he's otherwise a master brewer by profession and was with Molson Coors for 16 years, rising in the company's hierarchy in Europe and achieving excellent business results, for which Chief Hattersley praised him:

"Simon has brought our European business to its current position. We're grateful for everything he's done for us to realise our achievements so far and become what we are today,'' said Hattersley.

The Zagreb Brewery also noted that Molson Coors in Europe, which includes them, did very well in the first nine months of this year - by September the 30th, the level of income from the third quarter of the pre-pandemic year of 2019 had been reached, and growth in investment in markets on the continent had also begun.

For more, check out our business section.

October the 25th, 2021 - The much loved and very popular Zagreb Brewery and K Pivovara (Brewery) which is under its auspices, has created even more variation in what was declared the world's best beer in its category back in 2020.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, last year, the beer that was declared the best in the world in its category - Grif Pale Ale, produced by K Pivovara from Zagreb, has been recently being producted in a brand new form - a 0.33 litre can. Along with the Pale Ale style in the new packaging, Oatmeal Stout is also now available in that form in stores. From the very beginning, these beers have been being produced in solely half-litre glass bottles.

From this microbrewery, otherwise under the auspices of the Zagreb Brewery, which is the Croatian market leader, they explained why they decided on heading in the direction of cans as opposed to more bottles.

“A small 0.33 litre can is practical and light and holds the ideal amount of beer for many consumers. At Grif, we approach the production of master beer uncompromisingly, and every drop of our skill poured into these new cans will confirm that fact once again,'' noted the manager for excellence of customers and consumers at K Pivovara, Dominik Palcic.

Cans of Griff's very own trump cards are on sale across numerous retail chains within Croatia, including Konzum, Interspar, Djelo and Vrutak, and the company is announcing its entry into a number of others soon.

These beers have been present here on the Croatian, otherwise very much thriving craft brewing scene since back in 2017, and Grif proved its mastery and quality not only here but also abroad.

Just last year, at the World Beer Awards held in the British capital of London, among 2,200 beers from 50 countries around the world, their Pale Ale won the title of World's Best Pale Golden Ale based on blind tasting.

For more, check out Made in Croatia.

June 5, 2021 - Volunteers picked up garbage and cleaned the green territory in Split and Solin on two sunny Saturdays. The active weekends in Split were organised by the Association 'Sunce' and Zagrebačka pivovara d.o.o. One TCN intern reports from the field. 

An action in Solin became a part of a socially responsible campaign ‘Čuvaj, pazi, ne bacaj!’ (Take care, take caution, don't throw!) initiated by Zagrebačka pivovara. The idea was to clean 15 illegal dumps throughout the country. With the support of local partners - ecologically conscious local associations and clubs - it started on 12 May in Osijek and finishes today in Solin. In Split, the association 'Sunce' that protects nature and the environment was featured as a partner of the campaign.

I was invited to participate in the cleaning action by my friend from 'Sunce', then I invited my colleague from the Split scout association. In fact, I was waiting for my friends from Zagreb to come to Split for a weekend, as I got an invitation. My friends were going to relax in sunny Split - for one of them it was supposed to come to Dalmatia for the first time - and I was thinking about an easy beach & bar program for them. But then I decided that Saturday cleaning in the suburbs would be a nice beginning of the weekend. Actually, it shows that our lovely Split is not only a tourist spot to chill, it's a city that cares about the ecology and provides an enabling environment for living.

We met with 'Sunce' staff at 09:00 am and came to the garbage dump in Solin at 09:30. Offhand, half of the volunteers came from Split and a half from Solin. Among volunteers, there were local people from the Split neighborhoods as well as expats from North Macedonia, Russia, Italy, and Germany. Some staff of the Zagrebačka pivovara office located in Dugopolje joined us too. In sum, we were around 25 people on the first Saturday, 22 May, and around 10 people on the second Saturday, 29 May. Therefore, the first Saturday team handled all the garbage in a little over two hours, while the second team used all the time allotted (4 h).

Zagrebačka pivovara provided us with cleaning tools, protective gloves, corporate identity t-shirts, and some snacks and non-alcohol drinks at the beginning. Within two hours we collected about 30 large garbage bags. By the way, we have learned that it's easier to clean dense clusters of garbage, probably, typical weekend grill places, than garbage disseminated along the road. My first finding was a funny child's toy. The second finding was a thrown can of Ožujsko pivo. My friends competed to find the oldest soda can or bottle. If I'm not mistaken, a Coke from1993 won this competition.

With all the garbage bags filled, we created a live chain and put it together on the side of the road from where it will be taken for disposal. I really enjoyed the atmosphere of solidarity and cooperation in our chain speaking in Croatian, Russian and German simultaneously. Upon cleaning, we moved to a beautiful nature place in Solin - Odmorište uz rijeku Jadro (Rest area along the Jadro river). There, Zagrebačka pivovara offered us a grill and beers in the fresh air. It was a good reward for good work and a great chance to get to know the people you're volunteering with.

For more, follow our lifestyle section. 

May the 8th, 2021 - The Zagreb Brewery (Zagrebacka Pivovara) has released another of its creations onto the Croatian drinks market - meet Hidra UP.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the well known Zagreb Brewery has launched yet another brand new non-alcoholic drink onto the Croatian drinks market, Hidra UP. It is a refreshing drink made from orange, lemon and lime fruit juice and barley malt with very few calories, which quickly restores a person's consumed energy reserves. In addition to natural ingredients, Hidrs UP contains minerals (Mg) and vitamins (C, B6, B5, B3) that help reduce fatigue and exhaustion.

Given the ever-increasing pace of life and daily responsibilities, people rushing around trying to juggle the varying stresses of life often don't have enough time to ensure that they have a varied diet and the necessary rest. In these situations, they use every opportunity to make up for lost time. For business people, students, travellers, professional drivers and everyone else who lives the fast pace of life, the new kid on the block, or more specifically the Croatian drinks market restores their lost energy.

The Zagreb Brewery, which has become more and more well known on both the Croatian and the international scenes of late and is the leading brewery on the Croatian drinks market, continuously monitors trends and launches new products depending on the wishes and needs of consumers. After the launch of the isotonic drink Hidra ISO, the company is once again making a breakthrough on the Croatian drinks market with this new addition.

"After isotonic drinks found their consumers in the sports community, we wanted to offer a wider audience something new, something that will make their day easier and aid them in maintaining the necessary concentration. We believe that our audience will recognise the quality of this drink and that Hidra UP will soon become a favourite additional source of energy for all who need it in the dynamic pace of life,'' said Ana Sebih Pinjuh, the Zagreb Brewery's marketing director.

For more on Croatian drinks and everything else created in this country, follow Made in Croatia.

February the 16th, 2021 - The launch of a drink which has long since been loved by American drinkers, hard seltzer, will soon be available here in Croatia. The popular Zagreb Brewery will have an important role to play.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the Molson Coors Beverage Company will soon become the first company to launch the aforementioned alcoholic beverage - hard seltzer, throughout the Central and Eastern European market, thus consolidating its leading position in the market. Here in Croatia, hard seltzer will enrich the product portfolio of the Zagreb Brewery (Zagrebacka pivovara).

The move involves expanding one of the world's largest breweries to the category of other alcoholic beverages across Central and Eastern Europe. Hard seltzer is an alcoholic beverage that has quickly become a much-loved and much-purchased drink over in the United States and indeed around the world.

Hard seltzers consist of carbonated water with some form of flavour and alcohol content, whose share is between 4 and 6 percent, they're most often gluten-free and vegan which will benefit many, and due to their refreshing taste and the aforementioned characteristics, they have quickly grown in global popularity, becoming a favourite of many.

"Our company's ambition is - as we pointed out last year, to offer the market more than beer, explore new areas and segments, offer some alternatives to our consumers around the world. Our research and the results of large markets such as that of the United States show us the great potential of hard seltzers. That's why we've decided to soon offer adult consumers from Central and Eastern Europe an alcoholic beverage that is rapidly conquering the world,” said Sergey Yeskov, MCBC General Manager for Central and Eastern Europe.

Over on the United States market, hard seltzers have continued to show continuous three-digit growth, while the first brands have just started to appear here in Europe. The countries of Central and Eastern Europe are increasingly embracing global consumer trends, which is why the new category of refreshing, different alcoholic beverages will more than likely appeal to consumers in this part of the world, after a strong expansion in many other areas.

"The trends point in favour of launching this type of alcoholic beverage. Croats are increasingly aware of global trends, they're looking for different opportunities to responsibly enjoy the consumption of alcoholic beverages in society - both online and offline. That's why we believe that hard seltzers will become more and more popular in the future in our country, just like they have in other markets around the world,'' added Miroslav Holjevac, President of the Management Board of Croatia's Zagreb Brewery.

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ZAGREB, August 2, 2018 - A microbrewery in the eastern town of Vukovar, which will make Vukovar Beer, was inaugurated in the Vukovar Business Zone on Wednesday.

Although the barley yields in Europe are lower by 40%, Croatian brewers say they have enough quantities secured.