Ab Inbev Efes will release cold tea
The largest manufacturer of beer Ab Inbev Efes will begin to release cold tea Zeno. Due to non -alcoholic products, brewers are trying to diversify the main business, where stagnation is now observed. At the same time, sales of soft drinks are growing, although serious competition is already being formed in this segment.
Ab Inbev Efes began the production of cold tea with Zeno vitamins, told Kommersant in the company. Products represented by two tastes (green tea and black tea with lemon) are already produced at factories in Omsk and Ivanovo, they note there. The access to this segment is associated with the growing demand of consumers for non -alcoholic drinks and cold tea, explains the general director of Ab Inbev Efes Nikolai Turnikov. According to the company, over the past three years, sales of non -alcoholic drinks in Russian retail, including cold tea, have increased by 23%, and the number of buyers amounted to 6.5 million people.
Ab Inbev Efes is the largest brewery in Russia, formed in 2018 as a result of the merger of Russian assets of the Belgian AB InBEV and Turkish Anadolu Efes. In December 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin transferred the business to the Provisional Department of the Civil Code « Together ». The companies own 11 factories in the country where beer pouring beer under the brands BUD, SpATEN, VELKOPOPOPOVICY KOZEL, Old Melnik from the barrel, Klinskoye, Volt Energy, as well as Natytari Lemonada.
According to the Nielsen analytical company, as a result of 2024, Ab Inbev Efes increased its share in the Russian market by 1.7 percentage points, to 29.5%, retaining the first place among all the country’s brewers. According to SPARK, the revenue of AB InBEV EFES in 2024 increased by 30.02%, to 141.24 billion rubles. Net profit decreased by 14.6%, to 14.27 billion rubles.
Alla Andreeva, CEO of the All -Divisions Association, says that among non -alcoholic beverages, the category of tea is one of the most promising for manufacturers. In her opinion, this is due to its traditional popularity and the formed culture of tea consumption in Russia. In this regard, Mrs. Andreeva expects large manufacturers to continue to withdraw new brands in this segment.
According to Nielsen, natural sales of cold tea in 12 months in March 2025 increased by 7%, and cash – by 23.2%. Among the fastest growing categories in the segment of non -alcoholic beverages, analysts are distinguished by chilled fruit juices (an increase in natural sales by 14.6%a year by the year), energy and sports drinks (an increase of 14.2%), adults of puree and darkness (added 11.8%).
Cool drinks are quite marginal for manufacturers, indicates the Executive Director of the Rusbrend Association (unites large manufacturers of everyday goods) Alexei Popovich. Nevertheless, due to high competition in this segment, the manufacturer will have to invest in an expensive marketing company to build up a significant share, he said. According to the director of the producer of Aqua-Witan drinks Alexei Voinov, Ab Inbev Efes has a sufficient advantage when withdrawing new products not even in its main category due to already established ties with retail chains, distributors and catering establishments.
The co-owner of the SVAM Group distributor and GLETCher brewery Igor Khavsky does not exclude that large brewing companies diversify the main business due to the stagnation of the Russian beer market. According to the Rosalkoltabakcontrol, the sale of beer and beer drinks in the first quarter of 2025 decreased in total by 11.3%, to 157.9 million decalpers. At the same time, additional equipment is not required for the rosllic of soft drinks, it can be very quickly rebuilt from a beer’s outer, Mr. Khavsky explains. Therefore, many large brewers complement their portfolios with non -alcoholic drinks, the expert concludes.
