OREANDA-NEWS. On 07 March 2008 was announced, that more than one thousand five hundred companies from the whole world set up their displays in the Rimini Fiera exhibition centre in the city of Rimini, where from February 23-26, 2008 the Pianeta Birra Beverage & Co exhibition was held. The event was devoted to the industry of beverages, snacks and equipment for pubs and pizzerias.

Pianeta Birra Beverage & Co is one of the most entertaining European exhibitions. Each year it becomes a meeting place for the leading producers of beverages and equipment, for distributors and representatives of HoReCa from the whole world. At the Baltika stand in the Le Birre (Beer) pavilion, products of the leading Russian brewer were on display in all forms of packaging — bottles, cans and PET, and there was a bar set up where visitors could try Baltika №7 Export beer and Baltika №8 Wheat beer.

Baltika took full advantage of the possibilities presented to expand the circle of its partnership relations via Pianeta Birra Beverage & Co: considerable interest was shown in the Baltika beer both by major distributors and by owners of pubs, pizzerias and local distributors. Within the Company, thought is being given to arranging regular deliveries of beer to Italy already this year. The segment of imported beer is rather big in Italy and occupies up to 30%, while beer consumption continues to grow.

Each year Baltika Breweries takes part in 24 major national and international exhibitions and it considers them to be an important channel for promoting the Company’s products and image abroad. In 2007, sales of the Baltika brand in Europe grew by 31% compared to 2006. During the seven years of its export activity, Baltika has established shipments to 46 countries around the world and maintained high rates of growth in export sales of +15-20 % per annum.

Baltika Breweries is the largest FMCG company in Russia. Ever since 1996, it has been the leader on the Russian beer market. The Baltika brand occupies second place in Europe in terms of sales. The Company comprises 11 breweries across all of Russia. It has a wide portfolio of brands and its employees number around 12,000. Baltika Breweries is the leading exporter of Russian beer to countries near and far: it accounts for 70% of all export shipments of Russian beer.