The Union of Brewers in Bulgaria faces challenges with innovative campaigns and high public approval.
The Union of Brewers in Bulgaria (UBB) represents beer producers and their suppliers with raw materials and equipment. The association's mission has been to support and promote the sustainable development of the Bulgarian brewing industry, raise the professional status of workers in the industry, and encourage modern beer culture ever since its founding 30 years ago. The following brewing companies are members of the association: Bolyarka - VT AD, Britos EOOD, Zagorka AD, Kamenitza AD, Carlsberg Bulgaria AD, Lomsko Pivo AD, Dorovski Invest OOD.
The Union of Brewers in Bulgaria has been part of the organization "Brewers of Europe" - Brussels since 2007, which unites 30 national associations representing the interests of 11,000 small, large and medium and micro beer producers on the Old Continent.
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The Union of Brewers marks three major anniversaries for the industry in 2021- 140 years of the Bulgarian brewing industry, 65 years of brewing science, and 30 years since the Union of Brewers' establishment. In light of all these anniversaries, what is your most important message to the general public?
Anniversaries are undoubtedly very inspiring occasions for events, communications and new horizons in the development of the brewing industry. Brewing in Bulgaria is a remarkable industry. The brewery foundations in our country were laid 140 years ago as a cultural corridor, connecting us with Europe and giving Bulgarians confidence that they were modern people. Today, the broad portfolio of over 160 beer brands produced in the country and dozens of their assortments, creative marketing, hundreds of millions of levs of investment in innovative facilities, green and social investments all determine the appearance of the Bulgarian brewing sector.
In its 30-years of history, the Union of Brewers in Bulgaria has implemented several projects contributing to the sustainable development and growth of the brewing industry. With the leadership role of the UBB, good practices for transparency, accountability and sustainability are a fundamental credo and value for the sector. Furthermore, UBB is the only branch organization that implements a joint social responsibility program with various topics and initiatives for the entire industry. According to the latest reputation survey conducted in EU countries, Bulgarian brewers have the highest reputation in Europe for their achievements in 2021. In addition, they are gaining strong approval among the general public. The essential factors for being successful are:
- The product's high quality.
- The economic and social contribution of the beer companies.
- Their responsibilities as employers and producers.
For our anniversaries and overall economic and social contribution, UBB received the Icarus Award of BIA. It has great value for us but is even more valuable now because it is the last award that Mr Radev personally presented in his capacity as Chairman of BIA. In his words: "You [UBB] are not just part of BIA's family, but also loyal friends with whom we work for the modern economy of the country." We remain together with BIA. We are incredibly proud that a person of his rank recognized our work as an organization.
Where do we stand on Europe's map in these challenging times? How was the summer season for the brewing industry?
It is hardly surprising that the periodic lockdowns are decisive for the brewing industry in all European countries. They mainly affected beer sales through restaurants, bars and cafes. At the same time, sales through the store network are rising, which offsets the significant losses from the shutdown of the cold market. Overall, sales in 2020 in the EU have declined by 9%. Expert analysis shows that the industry's recovery is still uncertain, and without government support, it will hardly be possible before the end of 2022.
We experienced a revival in the brewing sector this summer season, both in the EU countries and Bulgaria. Moreover, current research shows that beer consumption in our country remains at the pre-crisis 2019 level, which shows that Bulgarians are loyal consumers of the category.
Currently, 37 beer producers are registered in Bulgaria, three of which are large companies, 8 are small and medium-sized breweries, and the remaining 26 are micro-enterprises. Investment and other projects in most breweries continue. For 2020 the investments in fixed assets are BGN 37 million, and for the first half of 2021 alone- BGN 20 million. The total investments of the brewing sector from 1994 until today amount to the impressive 1, BGN 2 billion
The product portfolio in the industry is highly diverse and is being enriched every year with different brands and styles of beer. As a result, over 35 new beers have entered the market for the last 12 months.
During the summer months, Bulgarians drink one beer every day. For the last six months, 58% of them have consumed soft beer at least once a week, especially if they intend to drive. Almost 50% of women drink beer at least once a month, and every third Bulgarian woman - at least once a week during the Summer.
The Olympic Games in Tokyo and the achievements of our athletes have created pleasant occasions for raising toasts, positive emotions and celebration.
For more than eight millennia, beer has influenced the way people communicate, celebrate and have fun. Today we can only thank our ancient ancestors for dedicating us to the magic that turns a small barley grain into a sparkling amber drink. Perhaps that is why the name of today's Bulgarian word "maya" comes from the ancient Greek magia, which means mystery, magic.
What lays ahead for the end of the year for you?
The UBB has engaged fully in the commitment of European beer producers for environmental sustainability and the circular economy and has already activated the Green Beer Academy. Furthermore, at the end of June, we held the National Forum for Sustainable Development of the Bulgarian Beer Industry.
We're planning to turn Sofia into the European beer capital to celebrate our anniversaries in October. We hope that the covid-19 situation will allow representatives of the Brewers of Europe and all national beer associations from the EU to come to Bulgaria.
