Serbia is the second biggest beer exporter in the EU.
Only in 2016, according to the study “Economic Impact of the Beer Sector in Serbia”, our country exported more than 1.2 million hectoliters of beer, worth 41.58 million euro.
However, with an average consumption of 61 litres per capita, Serbia is below the European average of 69 litres.
Rebeka Bozovic, General Manager of the Association of Breweries of Serbia, says that Serbia, with 48 million litres of exporter beer, makes 12 percent of beer imports into the EU. She also says that the consumers in our country drink quality beer, which is prepared from the best domestically grown hops.
“Breweries in Serbia spent 89 percent of their purchasing funds, or 119 million euro, on buying hops in Serbia to produce beer”, explains Rebeka Bozovic. “98% of the most important ingredient of beer – barley malt – is purchased in Serbia”, she adds.
The European Union produces almost 81 litres of beer per capita, and every fifth bottle is filled in Germany. The largest breweries, assembled under the Association of Breweries of Serbia, cover more than 95% of the domestic market and are the leaders in a sustainable and responsible business – Bozovic underlines.
“The brewing sector is led by three companies – Carlsberg Serbia, Heineken and Molson Coors, with a market share of more than 95 percent”, says Bozovic and adds: “The Maltineks Company produces beer malt from the barley that is 100 per cent grown in Serbia. In addition to these breweries, there are three smaller ones – BIP, Valjevo and Nis brewery – as well as, 20 micro breweries. The beer sector produces about 40 different types of beer. Our market has certainly become more diverse, with more profiled flavours.”
Consumers now have wide range of new taste combinations at their disposal all thanks to craft brewers. One of the most famous breweries in Serbia is the one that makes the Kabinet beer.
“The flavour and the intensity of aroma come from quality malt and natural, selected ingredients, as well as from our love for craft brewing and good skills”, says Kosara Dangic Melentijevic, the founder of the Kabinet brewery. “Since our inception in 2013, we are on a mission to educate beer lovers on why is every beer of ours different. It is a very positive thing that the number of craft brewers is growing. People have access to quality beers, of different styles and types”, she adds.
The Kabinet Brewery makes about 70 different types of beer which they export to more than 25 countries.
The Serbian brewing industry has close to 16,500 employees, and in the production and distribution chain, each employee creates 8.51 new jobs”, Rebeka Bozovic underlines.
“In 2016, the companies that are members of our Brewers Association paid 226 million euro in excises and taxes, salary and state budget contributions”, she adds.
THE RISE OF SMALL BREWERIES
“In the European Union, craft beer has about 25 percent market share, while in Serbia, at the beginning of this year, it was between 2 and 2.5 percent. Montenegro, for example, has only one craft brewery”, says Srdjan Andjić, head of the Moja Voda Company and Kamarad Beer from Vrsac.
“Currently, we are only supplying the domestic market and we are the only producer that sells beer with a clack cap. Our brewery’s capacity is 300,000 litres, and this year we expect to produce 90,000 liters. Craft beer should be consumed in large quantities, because people get a very good quality beer for a slightly higher price. The raw material for everything that we make is imported from the Czech Republic, and we use our water and domestic active yeast”, Andjic adds.
(Vecernje Novosti, 20.08.2018)
http://www.novosti.rs/vesti/naslovna/ekonomija/aktuelno.239.html:744721-SRBIJA-POSTAJE-ZEMLjA-PIVA-Izvozimo-48-miliona-litara-nadiru-male-pivare
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