Baltika to Return to Kazakhstan

Drinks under the Russian brand Baltika will again appear on shelves in Kazakhstan. 

The Galanz Bottlers group of companies and the official Baltika exporter Trade SA LLC signed a distribution agreement in Kazakhstan, Orda.kz, citing Vedomosti.

Vedmosti notes that the companies plan to return products under the Baltika brand to the Kazakhstani market in an expanded line with an “updated recipe” and promote drinks under other brands.

Brander Bier, Platina Latina, Dragon, Volný Vlk, and energy drinks TGR Force and Piranha's Slam will enter the Kazakhstan market, Vedomosti writes.

Baltika is one of the leading beer producers in Russia. The company has eight factories in the Russian Federation.

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a decree transferring Baltika to the temporary management of the Federal Property Management Agency.

Carlsberg Kazakhstan filed a subsequent lawsuit against Rosimushchestvo, trying to prohibit the Russian agency from using the Baltika brand in Kazakhstan. A St. Petersburg court, however, ruled against Carlsberg, depriving the Danish holding of the right to use the Baltika trademarks in the post-Soviet space, including Kazakhstan.

The return of Baltika will make it even easier for Russia to dominate the beer market in Kazakhstan. 

60% of beer in the country is from Russia, and this share is growing. For Russian brewers, Kazakhstan is one of the priority export destinations.

Original Author: Nikita Drobny