Place of kvass in the beverage market
Kvass can be classified into various categories of drinks, but all of them should be combined into one group - thirst-quenching drinks. It is this motive that still remains the main one when buying kvass, since, perhaps, no other product has a more pronounced seasonality of consumption. Kvass competes with all drinks that are consumed in the heat - from beer to mineral water, however, unlike them, it is consumed very limitedly in the cold season.
In 2008 and 2009, the Romir research center conducted a survey of the population and found out how Russians quench their thirst. The closest competitors to kvass in terms of popularity were coffee and juice, while tea and mineral water were noticeably ahead of them. According to the survey results, just over a quarter of respondents (27%) were fans of kvass. Of course, tea and coffee should not be mixed with kvass, since the buyer does not have to choose between them - consumption situations differ. But if we talk about products sold only in retail, then depending on consumer preferences we can distinguish three groups of drinks.
1) sweet soft drinks saturated with carbon dioxide, where products based on flavors compete with kvass;
2) healthy drinks, which in addition to kvass include mineral water, juices and other categories with declared benefits;
3) fermented drinks with malty dense taste, where the main competition for kvass is beer and some other traditional drinks.
Although kvass meets all these criteria, people’s preferences do not at all reflect the structure of drink consumption. Kvass is not yet bought to satisfy the physiological need for drinking, it is used to quench thirst, and thoughts about buying kvass arise mainly in the hot season. Therefore, the structure of sales of thirst-quenching drinks has developed in such a way that kvass is still very noticeably behind beer, juices, soft drinks and water. So, if we assume that the production of all these drinks corresponds to sales*, then kvass will account for only 3% of the total volume of drinks sold (see diagram). Although 3% in the total volume of drinks and 14% in the soft drinks category is already quite a lot, considering that 5 years ago the share of kvass 
was 1% and 4% respectively.
*Official production volumes are approximately equal to domestic consumption, since the export and import of beverages is very small, the analyzed period is sufficient to smooth out seasonal shifts, and small businesses (whose output volumes are not taken into account by Rosstat) occupy a very small market share.
The main reason for the growing popularity of kvass compared to other “thirst quenchers” is the combination of price and usefulness. Here it is worth looking at the results of a nationwide study by the Romir center, conducted in August 2010, which showed that naturalness, the absence of GMOs, artificial additives and dyes are the most important criteria by which Russians evaluate the quality of food products. Both residents of megacities and respondents living in rural areas are unanimous in this.
So, if kvass were significantly more expensive than water and soft drinks, its popularity would obviously not be so high, since our consumer is not yet ready to significantly overpay for usefulness. Average 
The retail price of a liter of kvass in the first half of 2010 was 25.75 rubles, that is, only 13% higher than its “useless competitor” - a soft drink, and half as much as its “healthy competitor” - juice or “alcoholic competitor” - beer. But more economical juice-containing soft drinks and nectars are also increasingly used to quench thirst, and unlike juice or beer, they often overlap with kvass in price and consumer audience. Therefore, they could be considered the main competitors of the kvass category. It is not for nothing that varieties of kvass with the addition of juice have recently begun to appear.
At the same time, if the beneficial qualities of kvass were not of great importance for the Russian consumer, then kvass would not be able to displace cheap kvass drinks, which are comparable in taste to natural fermented kvass. However, kvass drinks today are still popular if they focus on the usefulness of their components (“kvass wort”, “grain raw materials”, “natural extracts”) or continue to call their products “kvass” using the name of the enterprise. For example, some kvass producers are expanding their line to include kvass drinks using the general brand "N-sky kvass".
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According to manufacturers' estimates, today the market for fermented bottled kvass accounts for about 70% of the kvass market as a whole, the remaining 30% comes from draft kvass and kvass drinks in a ratio of approximately 1/2. The share of fermented bottled kvass is growing annually (by 45% in 2008 and by 58% in 2009). The share of draft kvass is approximately stable, while the share of kvass drinks is inevitably declining (from 47% in 2008 to 23% in 2010).
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In addition to its usefulness, an important reason for the growing popularity of kvass is that it is part of the national culture, centuries-old traditions in the production and consumption of drinks. Kvass is an attribute of Russian identity, in a broad sense - Slavic culture, in a narrow sense - our family traditions. For many people, their identity is becoming increasingly important. Moreover, according to the aforementioned Romir survey, for 39% of respondents the Russian origin of the product is equivalent to a sign of quality, which perfectly complements the formed image of the drink. Naturally, traditional images are always used in advertising and design of kvass - spikelets, rural attributes, national paintings, ornaments. Historical and fairy-tale heroes and open Russian faces usually look at us from the packaging. Rare exceptions are the use of the company's umbrella brand, as well as some deviations towards the nature or geography of the native land.
There is another growth driver, which is still poorly felt, but is likely to have a significant impact on the kvass market in the coming years. The demographic wave is passing in such a way that the formed generation of beer lovers (under 30 years old) is en masse moving into the age of the most active kvass lovers (according to surveys - more than 35 years old). At the very least, surveys clearly demonstrate an inverse relationship between the volume of alcohol consumption and a person’s age. However, it is unlikely that kvass will be able to displace beer, since Russians do not consider it as a drink to lift their spirits, or that they drink while chatting with friends. Redistribution of preferences will most likely occur for purely physiological reasons.
Kvass production and market
The hot summer, the recovery of consumer demand and the lack of saturation of regional kvass markets became the main drivers of rapid growth in consumption in 2010. The weather certainly played a major role in this, since manufacturers and experts did not expect such a surge in sales, predicting at the beginning of 2010 an increase in consumption of up to 10%.
At the end of 2010, sales of bottled fermented kvass are expected to increase by 49%, to 63 million decaliters (despite the fact that in 2009 they increased by only 5% to 42.3 million decaliters). Nielsen retail audit data showed that sales of kvass in Russian cities in July 2010 almost doubled - by...% in physical terms, while mineral and drinking bottled water - by...%, and sweet carbonated drinks - by...%. In addition to the summer heat, one of the key drivers for growth was consumer interest in new launches, according to company experts.
In monetary terms, the kvass market, according to forecasts for 2010, will grow by...% to... billion rubles. By the way, in the crisis year of 2009, the growth of the kvass market in monetary terms outpaced natural indicators by more than twice, although in the beverage market as a whole there was a redistribution of preferences towards economical products, and in some categories there was even a reduction in retail prices.
Will the market continue to develop at such a high rate in 2011? There are no prerequisites for this. Back in 2008, when sales of kvass were not affected by crisis processes, market growth slowed down and amounted to...%. If we take into account that the main driver of the market in 2010 was the weather, then with summer temperatures within the climatic norm, we can expect stabilization or even a reduction in consumption in 2011.
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Estimation of kvass production volumes based on regional statistics is complicated by changes in accounting methods. For example, the annual dynamics up to and including 2009 can be assessed according to the OKP classifier for the category “Non-alcoholic fermented drinks and kvass”. But, according to the recently introduced rules for recording products according to OKPD, kvass belongs to the group of “kvass drinks”. This category definitely excludes sugary soft drinks on shock absorbers (they are separated into a separate group), but the data does not quite fit with the previous classification. In addition, certain kvass producers, for some reason, fall out of Rosstat’s field of view. It is likely that their kvass production volumes are taken into account in other beverage categories. Therefore, the given regional statistics data do not fully reflect the real picture. However, for some companies we can track the regional dynamics of kvass production and, based on it, evaluate their production indicators.
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The problem of optimal use of capacity in 2010 became especially acute - in the summer, producers worked at the limit of capacity, and by October they reduced their load by 10 times. For this reason, there is not a single large or medium-sized company in Russia that would only produce kvass. For the vast majority of companies, kvass is the second or third most important product (exceptions are “Deka” and “Kursky kvass”). Manufacturers compensate to some extent for the seasonal decline by building up reserves, since modern production technologies and the presence of a small amount of alcohol make it possible to increase the shelf life of bottled fermented kvass by up to a year. In addition, during the low season, producers try to produce kvass for contract bottling partners.
The seasonality of demand leaves room in the market even for very small producers who have the technological capabilities to produce kvass and consider it as a by-product. In many Russian regions (especially those remote from large cities), consumers are provided with kvass by local regional consumer unions, bakeries and dairies (see " ").
Today, large producers are trying to level out the seasonal decline and rid kvass of the image of an exclusively summer drink. Situations of kvass consumption are expanding, for example, the heroes of some commercials drink kvass in the office or during the cold season. Off-season sales of kvass brands should also be facilitated by the expansion of their tastes and their gradual replacement of drinks, the seasonality of which is less pronounced.
State regulation of the beer market can play a role in the development of the kvass market. In particular, if beer is classified as an alcoholic product, then some retail outlets may not be able to sell it or will reduce the allocated shelf space. This may lead to a further increase in the distribution of kvass produced by brewing companies, including outside the sales season.
Regional picture of kvass consumption
According to a Romir survey conducted in 2009, kvass is most popular among respondents living in the Central region (38%), while far fewer kvass lovers are in the Urals (17%) and the Far East (13%). However, as will be shown below, the last two regions have a rather low average per capita level of consumption of not only kvass, but also drinks in general. Another survey, conducted in July 2010, reflects a significant advantage of Moscow in the share of families buying kvass compared to other Russian cities - 1.5-1.8 times. At the same time, in Moscow the seasonality of kvass purchases was high, but less pronounced than in other regional centers.
Also, according to this study, Russian residents actively drink kvass during picnics and nature hikes. And the share of kvass lovers is higher among residents of large cities than the national average.
According to the most recent estimates, the share of kvass consumers in Russia amounted to 66% of the number of soft drink consumers. In 2008, this figure was at 56%. The main increase in kvass lovers occurred due to the large cities of Russia, where the share of kvass consumers in 2010 approached the indicators of Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Despite the availability and popularity of kvass, the level of its consumption depends quite strongly on the income level of Russians. A clear confirmation of this is the average per capita consumption level in Moscow and St. Petersburg *, which is at least twice as high as in other Russian cities, where kvass is also very popular. The importance of earnings is evidenced by the sharp slowdown in market growth in 2009 and the rapid recovery that began in the first half of 2010, while hot weather had yet to set in.
*Here and below we are talking about average per capita consumption of bottled kvass, excluding sales of kvass in barrels and KEGs. Consumption estimates were based on market dynamics in the first half of 2010 and do not take into account the impact of heat waves.
However, if we take Moscow and St. Petersburg out of the brackets, then we will not see a clear dependence of the average per capita consumption of kvass on income. For example, the income of residents... is one of the highest in Russia, and is approaching the level of..., but the average resident... drinks half as much kvass. At the same time, the influence of climate on kvass consumption in these two cities should be the same, since the average temperature of the warm season (May-September) is the same.
If instead of income we use the affordability index (the price of kvass divided by income), then the picture will not change at all. Among the considered regional centers of Russia, only one city should be noted where the price of kvass is relatively high, and incomes are not very high - this is... Perhaps this is where we should look for the reason for the rather low level of per capita consumption of kvass in the region.
Speaking about prices, income and consumption, it is worth immediately noting that in Moscow and St. Petersburg, in principle, there is a noticeable imbalance in the consumption of non-essential products, which include kvass, compared to other regional centers. But at the same time, there has long been a tendency to level out per capita consumption.
This process can best be described using the example of beer consumption. At the beginning of the market development, a jump occurred due to the rapid growth of average per capita consumption in Moscow and St. Petersburg. The period of rapid saturation of the capital's markets lasted 4 years - from 1998 to 2001. then the dynamics were very uncertain. At this time, beer consumption in the regions lagged noticeably behind, but the growth was more stable and continued until the crisis year of 2008.
If we talk about kvass, then the largest Moscow market in 2009 accounted for about... Russian sales. During the crisis, it became a kind of buffer, since the average per capita consumption of kvass in Moscow decreased slightly. Thanks to hot weather and a recovery in consumer demand, a noticeable increase in sales is expected in the capital at the end of 2010. But Moscow’s share in the total volume of kvass sales should decrease, since the regions will make the main contribution to the development of the market.
Among regional centers, faster growth will occur in those markets where residents drink relatively little kvass. In frequency, among the largest cities, the leaders in growth of per capita consumption will be: ..., ... and... (a significant increase is expected in ..., where consumption is at an average level). Also, by the end of the year, sales should increase noticeably in small towns.
We compared the level of per capita consumption of kvass with beer and soft drinks. We did not find a clear correlation between the consumption of beer and kvass. For example, a resident... drinks a little more beer than the Russian average, and in... much more, but local residents drink little kvass. Thus, the assumption is confirmed that beer and kvass as consumer categories still have little overlap, although they are most often sold at the same retail outlets. Otherwise, the developed consumption of beer would “pull up” the consumption of kvass.
But for many large cities there is a clear correlation between the consumption of kvass and sweet soft drinks. Some regions, for example, ..., ...and... fall a little out of the general trend - soft drinks are not very popular here (consumption is about 20 liters per person), but kvass is drunk at the level of the norm for regional centers. Preferences are also distributed in an unusual way... - a local resident drinks about 65 liters of soft drinks per year, which is much higher than the average, but kvass consumption is at an average level. Here, as well as in... and..., there is great potential for growth in kvass sales by replacing soft drinks with it.
It is also interesting to compare the price ratio for kvass and soft drinks in different cities. In regional centers with high purchasing power of the population, retail outlets, as a rule, offer branded soft drinks, which on average cost the same as kvass or even more expensive (as in Moscow, ... and ...). In these cities, kvass is not only a healthy but also a more affordable alternative. At the same time, kvass costs significantly more than soft drinks in..., ... and.... Most likely, the growth of kvass consumption in... is held back by a large price difference.
Despite the very important role that weather plays in kvass sales, we can notice that the climate in different regions does not have a decisive influence on its consumption. For example, in a cold..., where the average air temperature from May to September is...%, the average per capita consumption of kvass... than in... with a temperature of...%. In particular, Dmitry Pinchukov (CEO of Deka) notes that in the south of Russia they drink surprisingly little kvass. He explains this by the fact that life in the southern cities is not as dynamic as in the two capitals or industrial centers; in addition, the traditions of making homemade kvass have been preserved in the region. Maxim Kurokhtin (Marketing Director of Tomsk Beer) also believes that the popularity of kvass depends not so much on the climate zone, but on the established consumption culture. According to his observations, in those cities where local breweries produced kvass in the 80s, 90s and 00s (even if not packaged, but in barrels), its consumption is higher, and seasonality is not so pronounced.
However, sales of kvass are greatly affected by persistent temperature deviations from the norm. First of all, the regional dynamics of the kvass market in 2010 was affected by the fact that... and... turned out to be much more susceptible to temperature anomalies than... and.... For example, in Moscow the temperature anomaly was insignificant. In the summer of 2010, there were even cool days here, with air temperatures...-...°C. The number of hot days was not very large. Therefore, despite the fact that the expected average per capita consumption of kvass in... relative to 2009 will increase by...%, it will decrease by approximately...% relative to 2008 (when the crisis had not yet affected the market). The growth dynamics will probably be moderate relative to 2008 in..., ... and....
In the Central region of Russia and the Volga region, due to the anomalous summer, there was a noticeable increase in the average per capita consumption of kvass not only in relation to 2009, but also in relation to the pre-crisis level.
In our opinion, the further development of the kvass market in the regions of Russia will be greatly influenced by the development of small and medium-sized producers. They can give new impetus to the development of kvass consumption. Regional beer producers will also play an increasingly important role, who, having restored production (or faced with strict regulation in the beer market), will diversify their business into kvass.
Competitive situation
Unlike other categories, such as juices, beer or soft drinks, the kvass market until recently had rather weak distribution. Therefore, young kvass brands that appeared in the refrigerators of large companies throughout Russia quickly gained their share and gave new impetus to market development.
The low level of regional penetration of regional kvass brands is well reflected by railway statistics. Thus, with the volume of the kvass market in 2009... million decaliters, only about... million decaliters (or about...%) of products were delivered from producers to the regions of Russia by rail *. At the same time, for beer, the share of rail transportation in 2009 was approximately...% of total sales. Of course, a significant part of kvass is sold on local markets or is not taken into account in statistics, since it is supplied by road, for example, between Moscow and St. Petersburg. However, we clearly see that kvass, as a rule, is not transported over long distances due to the sharply increasing share of logistics costs in its cost.
* according to railway statistics from the Kominfo news agency
Thus, a mass brand in the kvass category should be produced close to the point of sale. Accordingly, the optimal location of production facilities is of great importance for the kvass market. It is easy to see that the market positions of leading companies are mainly determined by the geography of their production. The main enterprise of the pioneer and leader of the kvass market, MPBK Ochakovo, is located directly in the largest sales region, which accounts for at least a quarter of kvass sales in Russia. But enterprises in Penza, Krasnodar Territory and Tyumen allowed the company to grow dynamically during the development of regional markets. Novgorod Deka is very well located from the point of view of transporting products to Moscow and St. Petersburg, but the long supply chain to the eastern regions limits the company's ability to expand beyond the Urals. For the same reason, in regions remote from the center, the positions of local players are strong. For example, “Bouquet of Chuvashia” is, according to the company, virtually a monopolist on the market of the Chuvash Republic, “Tomsk Beer” is the leader of the kvass market in Siberia.
SABMiller, over time, could bring its Far Eastern brand “Matushkin kvass” to the federal level. In 2009-2010 the company showed relatively low market activity, but in the future it can use its regional experience. "Matushkin Kvass" was launched in May 2009 with the aim of loading existing kvass capacities in Vladivostok and selling products in the Primorsky and Khabarovsk territories. According to our rough estimate, the kvass production volumes of this plant are small (up to 0.5 million decaliters) and there was no significant growth at the end of the 2010 season, since the summer in the Far Eastern region was not hot.
It is possible that Efes, the fourth largest player in the beer market, will enter the kvass market. There are at least two prerequisites for this. Firstly, the company seriously considered this possibility - back in May 2010, it received permission to produce pilot batches of Polar Bear kvass, bottled in KEGs and PET bottles. Secondly, Efes group managers have extensive experience in the soft drink markets of Turkey and the Asian region, since the company is a Coca-Cola bottler. Perhaps it was the successful activity of the Russian division of Efes in the beer market and the high utilization of production capacity that removed this issue from the 2010 agenda.
True, the second and third numbers in the beer market - AB InBev and Heineken, despite a serious decline in production and clearly low capacity utilization, the kvass market seems uninteresting. Anheuser-Busch InBev executive director Carlos Brito in August 2010 commented on the possibility of launching kvass to a RBC daily correspondent " We will continue to focus our efforts on beer in the near future. This is the business we know best and there are a lot of things we're going to do, we have a lot to do here".
The sale of the Stepan Timofeevich brand clearly indicates that Heineken does not see any prospects for the development of kvass. Although, according to Deka management, they continue to use the Heineken distribution network to supply kvass to retail in St. Petersburg.
Main producers of kvass
Ochakovo
OJSC MPBK Ochakovo is the leader of the Russian kvass market, and the Ochakovsky brand is the most popular kvass among Russians. According to Business Analytics, it (including the children's sub-brand Kvasenok) accounts for 35% of sales of bottled kvass in physical terms and a noticeably larger share in monetary terms - 40%. However, this difference is due not to the fact that the company’s kvass belongs to the premium segment, but to the fact that the main sales direction of Ochakovo is Moscow.
The company has gained a strong position in the Russian market for three reasons. Firstly, Ochakovo was a pioneer in the market. Back in the mid-90s, the company bottled fermented kvass in PET containers and put it on retail shelves. Secondly, an independent manufacturer, without having large marketing budgets, still actively promoted its brand, placed advertisements, often sponsored various events and, thereby, “rocked” the entire kvass category. Thus, many kvass lovers, especially middle-aged ones, have formed a clear association between packaged kvass and the Ochakovsky brand. Finally, thirdly, the company uses a federal-scale distribution network to sell its kvass and relies on four production sites located in different regions of the country.
These historical and competitive advantages have allowed Ochakovo to take full advantage of the growth of the kvass market. According to the company, sales of kvass at the end of the season increased from 15 million decaliters in 2009 to 24 million decaliters in 2010. That is, the increase was 60%, despite the fact that in 2009 sales increased by only 2%. Accordingly, the weight of kvass in the sales structure has noticeably increased, but the beer market remains a priority for the company. So, today the share of kvass accounts for 31% of the total sales volume of Ochakovo, and the share of beer - 57%.
According to our assessment, based on regional statistics, all four Ochakovo enterprises have increased the production of kvass. The greatest growth occurred at the main enterprise in Moscow, which ensures... the production of the company's kvass. According to our rough calculations, production increased by...% and exceeded... million decaliters. The Krasnodar branch increased output by approximately...%, exceeding... million decaliters, and the Tyumen enterprise - by...% to... million decaliters.
Today, Ochakovo is increasing its production potential by modernizing its facilities. " Last summer was a real test for all beverage producers, - says Vladimir Antonov, general director of the Ochakovo MPBC. - We were preparing for the growth of the kvass market, but, admittedly, we underestimated the real volumes of demand. Even the capacity of our - the largest plant in Russia - was not enough to satisfy all the demand for the drink. In addition, in recent years we have observed a clear, stable demand for kvass in the colder seasons. Therefore, we are confident that expanding our capacity will give us an additional advantage over our competitors and strengthen our leadership position in the market.".
Funds to finance this project have already been found. Sberbank of Russia opened a credit line for Ochakovo with a limit of 1 billion rubles. for a period of 3 years. In particular, the modernization of the Moscow enterprise will affect the yeast separation process, which will increase the volume of kvass yield and increase the profitability of production. At the same time, the equipment will be reconstructed. Upon completion of all work, the capacity of the Moscow production site will increase from 6 to 9.1 million dal of kvass per month. As part of previous investment programs, the company built a new malt house on the basis of a malt plant in the Lipetsk region and modernized the production of kvass wort.
2010 was marked by high marketing activity of Ochakovo. During the sales season, the company decided to air a commercial that went against the traditions of leavened marketing. The main idea of communication is Ochakovsky kvass - a modern drink for any occasion, in any part of the world for free-thinking and progressive residents of the metropolis.
"The problem with kvass as a category is its constant opposition to modern soft drinks, - comments on the release of the video Boris Malyshev, Marketing Director of the Ochakovo MPBC. - To once again focus the attention of consumers on this is too obvious a move, and all our competitors, as one, emphasize “Russianness”, traditionalism, patriarchy - such a stereotypical attitude harms both kvass and the consumer. Therefore, our task this season is to change the attitude towards kvass, to expand consumers’ understanding of where and how to drink it. In general, kvass, with its usefulness and naturalness, is an all-season product, it can be compared with juices".
The new product of the 2010 season - Russia's first premium brand of kvass - "Veranda" - is also being compared to juices. According to the company's management, it was the modernization of malt and kvass production that made it possible to release this brand. The production plan for 2010 is 300 thousand decalitres, and next year it is planned to increase the share of Veranda to 10% of the total sales volume.
Kvass is available in two flavors: “ginger-apple” and “lime-mint”, in a 0.75 liter package. The recommended price per liter of kvass is three times higher than the average price for the drink in Russia. Currently, kvass is represented in a number of retail chains, and in 2011 it is planned to enter the HoReCa segment by releasing “Veranda” in glass containers with a capacity of 250 ml. ("Secret of the Company", July 2010)
In marketing terms, the reason-to-believe* for Veranda is production technology, taste and usefulness. So, for this kvass, not dried, but freshly sprouted malt is used, which is considered much healthier due to its high amino acid content. In the production of wort, in addition to rye, several other types of cereals are used. The color of "Veranda" differs from other kvass, and the density of the drink resembles juice. Ochakovo hopes that the new product will become an off-season drink.
* "reason for trust" - a functional benefit that serves as evidence that the benefits claimed by the brand are genuine and trustworthy.
"Veranda" is positioned as a kvass for people focused on luxury, a high standard of living and self-care. According to Inna Kochetova, vice president of marketing at Ochakovo, Veranda consumers are traditional maximalists: connoisseurs, socially responsible, family people who value quiet, calm moments, as well as lovers of unusual new products.
The drink is promoted through outdoor advertising, glossy publications, organizing events and through BTL promotions at points of sale. The main element of the brand's visual design is the peacock. According to Ochakovo, the peacock symbolizes luxury and aristocracy.
Launching Veranda would be a very expensive project, which would create a large empty niche in the Ochakovo brand portfolio. As reported in the press, today the company's technologists are working to make another brand of kvass with a similar recipe, but not as expensive as Veranda.
In addition to new launches, modernization of the sales system should ensure growth in sales of Ochakovo products. Until now, our own teams of sales representatives have worked in Moscow, Tyumen, Penza and the Southern Federal District, where Ochakovo production sites are located. In other regions, the company's products were sold through the efforts of partners who, in addition to contracts with Ochakovo, represented the interests of other companies. But in the near future, exclusive sales teams, formed on the basis of existing distribution centers, should appear in 15 central regions of Russia.
Deca
OJSC Deka is the second largest producer of kvass in Russia. The dynamic development of this company began in 2005, in the wake of the growing popularity of the key brand - Nikola kvass. If we take into account private brands, the market share of "Deca" by the first half of 2010 increased by 2% compared to 2009 and reached 32% in volume terms. The increase in market weight this year is primarily due to an active marketing policy and the acquisition of a new brand.
In addition, the company's successful operation is largely due to its focus on the economy and mid-price segments of the market. Kvass brands "Deki" are the most accessible among the products of companies with a federal scale of activity. Taking into account the company's advertising communications, we can say that Deka is not yet taking away market share from other kvass producers, but is growing thanks to consumers of non-natural soft drinks switching to kvass. But due to affordable retail prices and the presence of economical private brands in the portfolio, the company’s market share in monetary terms is lower than physical indicators and amounts to 26%.
Due to organic growth, inclusion of the St. Petersburg TM "Stepan Timofeevich" in the portfolio of brands and a contract with PepsiCo, kvass production at the Novgorod enterprise will double in 2010 and, according to our estimates, will amount to 20 million decaliters. Thus, despite the lower sales volume, in terms of kvass production volumes "Deka" is closely approaching the leader - MPBK "Ochakovo". Let us add that the Deki production site in Veliky Novgorod is the largest in Russia in terms of capacity and volume of kvass production in 2010. The potential production volume of the enterprise is up to 60 million dal of kvass per year.
The dynamics of financial indicators will be slightly lower than the production growth rate, which is likely due to the company’s relatively lower revenue from contract bottling of kvass. According to Deka's published preliminary reports, for 9 months of 2010 its revenue increased by 91% compared to the same period last year and amounted to 2.65 billion rubles. At the same time, in the third quarter of 2010, the company's revenue increased by 209% compared to the same period last year and amounted to 1.06 billion rubles. Since the 4th quarter already falls on the low sales season, we can assume that the company's final revenue will be about 3 billion rubles. Let us recall that in 2009 the company's revenue fell by 19% and amounted to 1.595 billion rubles, with a net loss of 96.7 million rubles. was replaced by a net profit of 190 million rubles.
In 2009, the company became involved in a number of corporate and financial disputes. The disagreements that arose between the shareholders were widely covered in the press and commented on by representatives of Deka OJSC. It is hoped that strong revenues generated in 2010 and strong operating performance will allow the company to resolve these issues.
Kvass is the main, but not the only activity of the company. Deka also produces beer (accounting for approximately 20% of sales in 2010) and mineral water (less than 1% in 2010). Within the framework of kvass production, an important area is bottling under copacking agreements for third-party companies.
So in February 2010, a three-year agreement was signed with PepsiCo for the bottling of Russky Dar kvass. The signed agreement gave additional impetus to the growth of the company's production. Management expects that the contract will increase production volumes by 25-30%, smooth out seasonality and more evenly load staff. An additional 150 people were hired for temporary positions, and in total, due to the summer increase in production volumes, the number of temporary vacancies increased to 250.
By the way, Coca-Cola was also interested in contract bottling of kvass. "Deka" was open to cooperation, however, according to the company's management, "the rigid price parameters did not leave a chance to make money," and the contract was not concluded.
In addition to producing kvass under the brands “Nikola”, “Bolshoi Kvass”, “Stepan Timofeevich” and “Dobrynya Nikitich”, as well as “Russian Gift”, Deka produces private brands under a copacking agreement. In particular, the company has impressive experience in bottling kvass for large federal chains - X5, Lenta, Auchan, Okay, Polushka, Dixie, Magnit and others under the trademarks "365 days", " Okay", "Khleborodov", "Oh!" and others. In 2009, the share of private labels bottled to order amounted to about 10% of total production.
The company's key asset is a developed portfolio of brands, which includes four brands: Nikola, Bolshoy Kvass, Stepan Timofeevich and Dobrynya Nikitich (in descending order of market share). Three key brands receive very active advertising support, each of them is positioned in its own price and target segment. On the eve of the 2010 season, the company updated the design of two brands: “Nikola” and “Stepan Timofeevich”, and also launched an advertising campaign in support of leading kvass brands. 
Thus, in the spring of 2010, the company’s key brand, kvass, was restyled. Nikola". The new brand communication shifted the focus from national motives and usefulness to the appropriateness of consuming kvass in any situation (even in the office) and more clearly identified the target audience: " The hero of the brand has acquired the features of a modern and successful young man who values himself as a bright personality, boldly opening new horizons, capable of individual, conscious choice, not imposed by fashion for the “Western”.
Simultaneously with the launch of the campaign, the packaging design was also updated - a visual embodiment of the brand’s hero, logo and product area. The new face of the brand character appeared back in 2009. " We strive to maintain a fairly established image of a quality product. Updating the visual image of the brand is intended to demonstrate the relevance and full compliance of the brand with changing consumer expectations“- commented on the redesign of “Nikola”, Marketing Director of “Deka” Natalya Starshinova.
According to the company, brand awareness based on the results of the 2010 season is 92%, spontaneous - 62%. Such fame is comparable to leading brands in the FMCG sector. "Nikola" occupies 23% of the Russian kvass market.
"Big kvass" - the most economical brand both in the company's portfolio and on the kvass market - appeared in retail in the spring of 2009. "Big kvass" is produced in a 3-liter PET package convenient for family consumption. Recommended retail price - 50-55 rubles, recalculated per 1 liter is cheaper than other brands of kvass, presented mainly in 2-liter packaging. As reported on the company’s website: " this distinguishes “Big Kvass” from competitors on the shelf of equal quality and leaves the consumer with a pleasant feeling of a bargain".
The “anti-crisis” proposal was made in 2009 with virtually no advertising support. But the “family” advertising campaign carried out in the summer of 2010 allowed, according to OJSC Deka, to reach 27% of the popularity of “Big Kvass” and its market share of 3.1%. The campaign included national broadcast of television spots, outdoor advertising on the facades of retail chains, as well as promotion at points of sale.
"Stepan Timofeevich" - entered the Deka portfolio in the fall of 2009. Its average price is slightly higher than the cost of other brands of the company, but is also quite affordable and approximately corresponds to the retail price of Khlebny Krai from Baltika.
Historically, "Stepan Timofeevich" is the first kvass brand to appear in St. Petersburg. But the well-known brand in the region received virtually no marketing support after it entered the portfolio of the Russian division of Heineken. Curtailment of production at the St. Petersburg plant named after. Stepan Razin was only the beginning of a protracted decline for the brewing company, as a result of which Heineken began to work in a cost-cutting mode and optimize its brand portfolio. The company did not invest in relocating production of a non-core brand. Its sale became a mutually beneficial and logical step.
After purchasing Stepan Timofeevich, on the eve of the sales season, Deka restyled the brand, but retained the “classical” continuity in its image. Classic landscapes of St. Petersburg appeared on the label, the logo became more readable and graphically integral, the naturalness of the kvass and its history were emphasized by the signs “Live Fermentation” and “First in St. Petersburg.” In the summer of 2010, Deka first supported the brand with an advertising campaign with the slogan “Stepan Timofeevich - the kvass of his native city!” According to Deka, as a result of the campaign, spontaneous brand awareness amounted to 45%, induced - 84%.
According to Deka General Director Dmitry Pinchukov, the company maintains a partnership with Heineken in the distribution of kvass. " Heineken has a solid team of sales representatives who, along with orders for beer, consolidate our orders for kvass. For Deka, such an agreement is beneficial: maintaining its own large team of distributors, which deals only with kvass, is expensive"("Expert", August 2010).
"Nikitich" is one of the first trademarks of the company, which today occupies a small share in its portfolio (less than 1%). In our opinion, it was launched as a duplicate brand of Nikola, and, if necessary, could support the sustainable development of the company. However, the success of Nikola and the expansion of the brand portfolio made investing in a “reserve player” inappropriate.
"Thanks to a large-scale advertising campaign, increased distribution and an active commercial policy, sales of Deki kvass increased by 35% in the first half of the year alone, when the weather had not yet shown significant deviations from summer norms"- commented on the work of the company, Chairman of the Board of Directors of OJSC "Deka" Andrey Mansky. - " In particular, a significant increase in financial performance was ensured by the federal advertising campaign, the success of the Big Kvass brand, which managed to win 3% of the national kvass market, as well as the creation of exclusive sales teams in a number of cities in central Russia. For the first time, the advertising campaign supported three kvass brands: Nikola, Bolshoy Kvass and Stepan Timofeevich. As a result, sales growth of the Nikola brand for 9 months of 2010 amounted to 70% compared to the same period last year. The sales growth of “Big Kvass”, the company’s young brand, amounted to 68%. Overall, the company's sales growth will exceed 140% for the year.".
Baltika
OJSC "PK Baltika" is the third largest producer of kvass in Russia in terms of production volumes and the fourth (and possibly even the third) player in the kvass market in terms of sales volumes. The Khlebny Krai brand became the first federal soft drink in the company's portfolio. Soon after the launch of the brand began to be sold throughout Russia and began to dynamically gain market share. If in April 2009 it was 0%, then at the end of 2009 it was 3-4%, and in the first half of 2011 the brand already occupied 7% of the market. According to our estimates , Baltika will finish 2010 with a 10% share of the total production and sales of Russian kvass.The company's market weight, both in physical and value terms, is the same.
During the 2009 sales season, the first advertising campaign for “Bread Land” was launched. Baltika did not experiment, using images of native nature in the television commercial and recreating the atmosphere of a happy childhood in the village, which emphasized the naturalness of the Khlebny Krai kvass. At the end of February 2010, Baltika offered consumers an individual and non-seasonal packaging format, releasing kvass in an aluminum can. Previously, Khlebny Krai was bottled only in PET bottles with a capacity of 1.5 and 2.5 liters, which are most popular in the summer.
A year after the launch of the Khlebny Krai brand, the company expanded its kvass line - the sub-brand Khlebny Krai - 7 cereals appeared on the market. Specifically, the 7 grains are rye, wheat, barley, oats, millet, rice and corn combined with barley malt. The new product is positioned as kvass with additional health benefits. As stated in the press release " Traditional Russian kvass is a family drink. And now each family member has a choice: a classic taste (like the main variety “Khlebny Krai Traditional”) or a softer one (like the new product “Khlebny Krai 7 grains”). In addition, the new product is ideal for preparing a traditional dish - okroshka".
In 2010, Baltika used the experience of the largest player in the kvass market - the Ochakovo company - and began to actively sponsor charity competitions. Events under the general title “Kvass Gatherings” took place in July-August in many cities of Russia. The purpose of the events was to preserve, support and develop Russian folk traditions among children and adolescents. As part of the project, master classes on making traditional Russian toys and exhibitions of children's handicrafts were held. Of course, these projects were not aimed at directly stimulating sales, but in our opinion, they allowed the company to emotionally involve the parents of the competition participants, as well as “educate” future consumers of Khlebny Krai.
Hot summer, the young age of the brand, active consumer and trade marketing became the prerequisites for the rapid growth of new Baltika products. According to our estimates, the company's kvass production volume at the end of 2010 will increase by approximately...% to... million decaliters. Half of the total volume of kvass production was provided by the Tula branch, which increased production... to approximately... million decaliters. The company's head enterprise in St. Petersburg increased production by almost...%, exceeding... million decaliters. The Krasnoyarsk branch of Baltika-Pikra also made a noticeable contribution to the increase in kvass sales, which sharply increased production in July 2010. In our opinion, in 2011 other eastern branches of the company will be included in the kvass production process.
As we have already said, the increase in kvass production occurred as a reaction to the decline in the beer category and the potential continuation of the market decline with tightening regulation of the industry. According to our estimates, by the end of 2010, beer production will be reduced to one degree or another at all Baltika enterprises, with the exception of the Voronezh branch. Taking into account the recession, the company has excess capacity, which at most enterprises this year was loaded by approximately 70%, and at the plant in St. Petersburg, where a rapid decline in beer production has been ongoing for many years, by approximately 50%.
Due to the presence of a large amount of unused capacity throughout the country, Baltika can adapt better than other kvass producers to the seasonality of sales, respond to a possible increase in demand, and expand into the eastern regions. According to Denis Sherstennikov, vice president of marketing of the company: "... Khlebny Krai kvass is a natural product of malt fermentation, and therefore to increase its production we can use fermentation equipment that was used to produce beer, without attracting additional investments"We can expect that Baltika's share in the packaged kvass market will continue to increase in 2011.
Coca-Cola
Since the introduction of Kruzhka i Bochka kvass in 2007, Coca-Cola has been dynamically gaining market weight in the kvass category. According to Business Analytics, in the first half of 2010, Coca-Cola increased its market share to 8% in volume terms and to 9% in value terms. It can be very roughly calculated that sales volumes of Kruzhka i Bochka kvass at the end of the 2010 season should have doubled and exceeded 5 million decaliters.
Since fermentation kvass production technologies are too complex, Coca-Cola is forced to place orders from breweries. Back in the fall of 2009, RBC daily reported that the company no longer had enough capacity at the Brau Service plants in Tver and Samko in Penza. Therefore, Coca-Cola has a need to attract additional capacity for bottling “Mugs and Barrels”, since sales of kvass are growing: “in this regard, we are looking at all kvass producers in Russia,” said a company press secretary. In particular, Coca-Cola negotiated with the Deka company about the possibility of contract bottling, but no agreement was reached.
The press has not received information about Coca-Cola's agreements on kvass bottling with new producers. However, the temporary contract, through which the company doubled sales in 2010, could be concluded. This contract could also explain the unexpected surge in kvass production that occurred last winter. In particular, according to Rosstat, in January 2010 alone, 1.4 million dal of kvass* were produced in the Moscow region, which is very unusual for the cold season.
* data for November-December 2009 was not available when preparing the article due to changes in the classification of drinks in Rosstat reports.
Presumably, the production of "Mugs and Barrels" could be located at the Mytishchi enterprise of the "Moscow Brewing Company", which already produces kvass and declares an open policy of partnership with leading beverage manufacturers (by the way, "MPK" had licenses for bottling "My Family" kvass for the Nidan company). However, this is just an assumption; another large producer in the Moscow region could also produce unseasonal volumes of kvass.
In connection with the transition to Coca-Cola, in August 2010, the Nidan Juices company abandoned the production of kvass under its umbrella brand. " When it became clear that the company was being acquired by Coca-Cola, we felt that it made no sense to compete with their Mug and Barrel brand", Andrei Yanovsky, a member of the board of directors of Nidan, told Kommersant. According to him, since, due to the seasonality of the product, the production of My Family kvass was not carried out year-round, its last batch was bottled at the end of 2009 and subsequently the company sold off the remainder .
PepsiCo
Historically, PepsiCo has operated symmetrically with its main competitor in the beverage market, the Coca-Cola Company. Therefore, the non-alcoholic giants also entered the kvass category at the same time - in 2007. In general, PepsiCo's start looked even more successful, since the company did not create its own brand from scratch, but began distributing the already popular Pershin kvass. But corporate, financial and production problems with the brand owner, Eugene Bougelet Wine, forced PepsiCo to abandon the contract in 2009. 
However, even if these problems had not arisen, and the distribution contract for Pershin had been retained, Coca-Cola would have sooner or later been ahead of its competitor, since it was actively promoting its kvass. It is obvious that Coca-Cola's budgets were not comparable to the marketing costs of Eugene Bougelet Wine, which was reflected in the change in the market positions of the two companies. This development of events hardly satisfied PepsiCo.
Having lost its brand, but having gained experience in the kvass market, PepsiCo started everything from scratch and organized contract production under its own brand. Already in April 2010, retail deliveries of a new kvass, “Russian Gift,” began. At the same time it became known that kvass was bottled under a contract at Deka’s facilities.
PepsiCo followed the example of its competitors and did not experiment with the brand image. The company also distanced itself from its soft drinks by creating yet another product “based on traditional Russian recipes.” The Honored Artist of Russia, who developed the packaging design, commented on his work: " Kvass "Russian Gift" is a combination of two original Russian symbols: the art of making kvass and Khokhloma painting. In its harmonious unity, the “Russian Gift” personifies the revival of Russian traditions and the preservation of folk culture".
Already in May 2010, an advertising campaign for the new brand began with the slogan “Century-old traditions of Russian kvass.” The main idea of the commercial was that kvass like “Russian Gift” was enjoyed by more than one generation of Russian people.
PepsiCo's efficiency and activity have borne fruit. According to Business Analytics, already in the first half of 2010, Russky Dar kvass accounted for 3% of the market in volume terms and 4% in monetary terms. Such powerful dynamics can be considered a demonstration of how quickly Russian kvass lovers can switch and try a new product.
Despite the success, PepsiCo accelerated its growth in market share, deciding on a move that was very unconventional for kvass producers. At the end of the high sales season, the company released the sub-brand “Russian Gift of Cranberry”. The design of the label was based on the already accepted and approved Khokhloma ornament with the image of berries and cranberry leaves. 
From the point of view of growth in market share, which falls with the onset of autumn, this launch could be called work for the future. However, it could give good results in 2010. The advertising campaign, of course, was not original in that it emphasized the traditions of Russian kvass-making and its focus on a family audience with children. But in this case, it was built in such a way as to stimulate off-season consumption of the drink. The main idea of the video is that kvass “Russian Gift of Cranberry”, thanks to its special properties, improves health during the winter season and increases strength. Naturally, the taste of the drink itself should have aroused increased consumer interest, since the new sub-brand combined two categories of natural products: kvass and cranberry juice (20%, according to the label).
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Eugene Bougelet Vine
In 2009, a major player left the market - the Eugene Bougele Wine company, which was unable to cope with the crisis and rebuild or sell its business in time. Kvass "Pershin" - a project of its former owner Evgeny Pershin - appeared back in 2004, as an addition to the existing business of selling wine and sbitn. At the same time, in the city of Sasovo, Ryazan region, a plant was launched for the production of low-alcohol natural drinks using the fermentation method with long shelf life.
Soon the brand became well known to kvass lovers. In 2007, Eugene Bougele Wine decided on a strategic partnership and transferred the rights to distribute its kvass to PepsiCo. The following year was a stellar one for Eugene Bougelet Wine - the company became the third player in the kvass market with a share of 9.7%. According to our estimates, the production volumes of Perishin kvass amounted to almost... million decaliters.
A business built on copyright ownership did not survive the decline in consumption and financial problems. Numerous creditors of the company filed for bankruptcy, and PepsiCo terminated its contract for the distribution of kvass. Back in June 2009, the volume of kvass produced by the Eugene Bougelet Wine bottler was at a fairly high level, but in July it fell sharply, and by September production stopped. Accordingly, at the end of 2009, sales of “Eugene Bougelet Wine” decreased by approximately...% to... million decaliters. But this was not just a recession - the market share of the Pershin brand fell rapidly throughout the year, and the brand practically disappeared from retail. At the end of 2009, Eugene Bougele Wine LLC reduced revenue by...% to... million rubles. and received a net loss of... million rubles.
Also, at the end of 2009 it became known that “Pershin” had changed its owner. According to the Vedomosti newspaper, the brand was acquired by an offshore company, which pledged the rights to it to a company associated with the wine importer, the Moro group. The new owner planned to bottle kvass under the Pershin brand at vacant production sites. For example, we know that in April 2010, the Moscow Brewing Company received permission from Rospotrebnadzor to produce Pershin kvass. But, as the MPK press service says, the possibility of bottling this brand has only been discussed.
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Regional and small kvass producers
Large federal companies will feel increased pressure from regional manufacturers in 2011. They are quite competitive in the kvass market and play a significant role, especially in settlements remote from the capital.
Unlike other product categories, the development of medium and small kvass producers is not hampered by global and licensed brands with a global image. Until now, themes of utility, native land, and patriotic motives have been actively used in kvass brand building. But the formed and nostalgic image of kvass only plays into the hands of medium and small companies. Traditional advertising, although it maintains the recognition of federal brands, has little effect on their value for the consumer, who, today choosing among familiar products, will rather be guided by the taste and price of the drink.
If, based on regional statistics, we group companies with Western capital or with wide distribution (including the Borodino Group of Companies and the Moscow Brewing Company), then the share of the remaining enterprises in the total volume of kvass production at the end of 2010 will be slightly less than...%. Compared to 2009, their market share decreased by several percent. But this happened because large companies with a wide sales system found themselves in more favorable conditions due to the coincidence of the geography of their sales and the geography of temperature anomalies in the summer of 2010. In addition, young brands of federal players have realized their main potential this season. Therefore, not 2010, but the next year - 2011 - should answer the question: does consolidation continue in the kvass market.
One of the largest regional manufacturers - OJSC "Tomsk beer". The main activity of the Siberian company is the production of beer; in recent years, kvass has accounted for 10-15% of total sales. 2009 was quite successful for the development of Tomsk Beer, since the dynamics of production, although it slowed down, did not become negative, like for most beverage manufacturers, and financial indicators improved significantly. But the production of kvass in 2009 decreased by 19% to 1.81 million decaliters. According to the company's report, the decrease occurred due to the cold spring and summer of 2009, increased competition in the kvass market due to the launch of new brands by other companies, as well as due to crisis processes and a reduction in consumer demand.
At the end of 2010, Tomsk Beer will noticeably improve its performance not only relative to 2009, but also to the pre-crisis level - an increase is expected to be more than 30%. On the one hand, this dynamics is noticeably lower than that of federal kvass producers. On the other hand, it can be called very high, given that there was no hot summer in Siberia, unlike the European part of the country. That is, according to Tomsk Beer, the company in its region performed better than other manufacturers overall. In addition, the company has seriously begun developing sales of kvass in kegs - now they account for more than 10% of total volumes. The expansion of sales geography also played a significant role, although the Siberian region still remains the main sales market.
Maxim Kurokhtin, marketing director of Tomsk Beer, says that at the moment the company’s strategic goal is leadership in the Siberian kvass market. The Blagodey brand is also known in remote regions, but sales there are not a priority. If the share grows outside of Siberia and the Urals, this will mean that the company is not fulfilling its main task and is losing money on logistics.
However, the general director and owner of the company, Ivana Klein, said in an interview with Interfax that the company’s long-term development strategy (2011-2015) provides for an increase in production capacity while simultaneously considering the possibility of purchasing or building a brewery to the west of the existing production. At the same time, Ivan Klein noted that in the European part of Russia today there is an excess of capacity, so there are risks of building a large enterprise there and then leaving it. At the same time, he said that Eastern Siberia is less attractive for Tomsk Beer than the Urals and the Western direction, but the main problem in distant regions is logistics. The company today is not fully realizing its potential: using railway communications is too expensive, and road transport is not enough.
Other regional breweries also showed excellent growth. Based on regional statistics, a significant increase occurred at the enterprises of the Republic of Chuvashia, the Kirov region and the Altai Territory - in total, brewers and beverage producers in these regions doubled the production of kvass, exceeding the volume of 4 million decaliters. In particular, according to our assessment, OJSC "Bouquet of Chuvashia" at the end of 2010, it increased the production of kvass by more than 2 times, to approximately 2 million decaliters. The company's product line includes a number of well-known brands of kvass, in particular, the Slaven brand, which Buket Chuvashia was actively promoting back in 2007. According to the company's annual report, in 2009 it occupied 70% of the kvass market in the Chuvash Republic.
Company OOO "Kursk kvass" was founded in 2005 and by 2007 had already won about 5% of the Russian kvass market. However, until 2009, the company’s intake volumes were stable - about 1.3 million decaliters, which, against the backdrop of market growth, led to a reduction in the company’s weight. Nevertheless , today "Kursky Kvass" is one of the largest producers in the Central region, and the Utolyaev brand is known in many cities of Russia, as the company seeks to expand the geography of its sales and actively collaborates with HoReCa. This year, "Kursky Kvass" is on the eve of the sales season updated the design of his brand, which was already quite original. 
As stated in the press release: " The updated label has a number of visual differences from the previous one. Changes in the label design affected its central element - the character of the “boyar”, who became more vibrant, open, realistic and positive. In addition, the background element of the label has become clearer, displaying endless fields of ripe ears and emphasizing the naturalness of the product".
Also, in recent years, regional producers of soft drinks have begun to pursue an increasingly active marketing policy, which had a positive effect on production volumes in 2010. Here are examples of three launches from the past season that were covered in the press. 
In June, the Lipetsk company JSC "Rosinka" introduced live fermented kvass "Zlatoyar" to the market of the central region. The brand is positioned as traditional Russian kvass with the refreshing taste of “the same” kvass. The consumer's attention is focused on the fact that “Zlatoyar” is prepared by fermentation from natural grain raw materials without the addition of preservatives, dyes and flavors.
In July, the Dagestan company - JSC "Deneb" released kvass "Captain's Barrel" with a rather original bottle shape and label design. It is also unusual that the main idea of the brand concept developers was not nostalgia or tradition, but " positive and relaxed mood, which is associated with the kvass season - summer, because summer is vacation and the sea". Moreover, the main sales direction of the company is the Southern region. The image that sets the name was developed in the label design. The handwritten logo allowed us to emphasize some of the “rolliness” of the name, and the silhouette of a seagull - a marine theme. To give the local brand a more modern look , and thus differentiate it from its “traditional” counterparts, the original bottle was developed.
In September 2010, Chelyabinsk PC Niagara LLC updated the design of one of its kvass - "Park Kultury". The company based its marketing communications on nostalgia for “that same kvass from childhood” and manifestations of patriotism. The packaging design is made in a retro style, with a corresponding retro character. According to the company, in 2010, Park Kultury kvass was sold in 37 regions of Russia.
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Production and wholesale sales. The 2019 catalog includes 50 manufacturers and suppliers of soft drinks and chilled kvass. Sales to regions and regions of the Russian Federation. Kvass producers that presented products for the exhibition:
- "Ros";
- "Chekhov's expanse";
- "Ostankino Drinks Plant";
- "Stolbushino";
- "Vyatich" and other companies on the list.
Companies purchase automatic equipment, fermenters, and special production lines. When preparing a kvass product, high-quality yeast, kvass wort, malt and other raw materials are used. Production enterprises use traditional sourdough and fermentation recipes and advanced technologies. Kvass brewing with artesian water gives the taste and aroma of a natural rye bread drink!
Organization of production, storage conditions in the premises, technological level under the control of Rospotrebnadzor. The proportion of substances is carefully observed, confirmed by the GOST certificate! Sugar syrup concentrate is used and filters are installed. The products are poured into kegs, barrels (draft), PET containers. Delivery of the product to the regions of Russia - transport organizations.
We encourage entrepreneurs, representatives of trade business, suppliers, dealers, and retail chains to cooperate. To buy a soft drink in bulk, download the price list - contact the exhibition manager. The price for large wholesale is discussed individually.
The 30 most popular brands of kvass among Russian consumers from 12 regions of Russia were studied, including the Bryansk, Vladimir, Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod regions, the Republics of Bashkortostan and Chuvashia, the Stavropol Territory, as well as Moscow and St. Petersburg. In addition, the study included one Belarusian sample. The quality and safety of the drink was checked according to 26 parameters.
What should quality kvass be like?
Natural kvass is made from kvass wort, consisting of barley or rye malt, rye flour or corn, water, sugar, yeast and lactic acid bacteria. The drink must be fermented under natural conditions without the artificial addition of carbon dioxide, artificial additives, sweeteners and preservatives.
The production of kvass according to specifications by means of carbonation rather than natural fermentation is not considered a violation of the law, but these brands cannot apply for the state Quality Mark, since Roskachestvo places increased demands on the naturalness of the product.
Another important indicator of kvass quality is the proportion of organic acids and the concentration of volatile substances. These components are produced exclusively during the fermentation process of kvass. If the manufacturer simply mixes the ingredients, artificially carbonating the product, they will not be in the kvass.
The mass fraction of dry matter in kvass is regulated by GOST. If this indicator is below the norm, this means that the manufacturer saves on raw materials by using kvass wort concentrate, and not the wort itself.
This is not kvass, but a kvass drink made according to the “just add water” principle.
Real kvass must contain traces of technological yeast - baker's, brewer's or kvass. The presence of another type of yeast - moldy fungi - and harmful bacteria in the product is regarded as a gross violation of sanitary and epidemiological standards.
Now let's talk about alcohol. It is no secret that kvass contains a weak proportion of alcohol - or rather, no more than 1.2% (as stated in GOST). An indicator above the norm indicates that the preparation technology was violated during production.
If the kvass is “non-alcoholic”, there is also nothing to rejoice at - this is not an original Russian drink, but tinted soda.
Manufacturers rating
According to the results of the study, 11 samples of kvass from the following brands became the absolute leaders who earned the state Quality Mark:
"Vyatsky" (Kirov region);
“Home Barrel” (Ulyanovsk region);
"Nikola Traditional" (Veliky Novgorod);
Traditional kvass (own trademark of the chain hypermarkets "O" KEY");
"Opokhmeloff" (Stavropol Territory);
"Ochakovsky" (Moscow);
“Rye Barrel” (Ulyanovsk region);
“Yakhont Refectory” (Moscow region);
“Russian kvass” (Veliky Novgorod);
“Family Secret” “Ochakovo” (Moscow);
"Volzhanka" (Ulyanovsk region).
During the inspection, goods were also found in violation of the requirements of the Law “On the Protection of Consumer Rights” and/or mandatory requirements established by the technical regulations of the Customs Union.
In kvass under the trademark "Bouquet of Chuvashia", produced by OJSC "Cheboksary Brewing Company "Buket Chuvashia"" in Russia (Chuvash Republic), and kvass under the trademark "Suzdal drinks", produced by Suzdal Beverages LLC in Russia (Vladimir region), yeast and mold were found.
And despite the fact that the product is recognized as natural (this is indicated by the norm of the mass fraction of dry substances and the composition of volatile components), it cannot be considered high-quality and safe - the amount of mold and yeast in it exceeds permissible limits.
Another outsider of the study is filtered pasteurized kvass under the trademark "Appetizing all year round", produced by NPO Slavich LLC in Russia (Moscow region). In addition to an increased amount of mold and yeast, the sample contains the sweetener cyclamic acid and the sweeteners acesulfame potassium and saccharin.
Laboratory tests revealed another violator - brand kvass "Eko kvass", produced in the Bryansk region by JSC Bryansklivo.
No harmful bacteria or mold were found in it, but experts found that the product declared to GOST did not correspond to it. The manufacturer added sweeteners and sugar substitutes to the drink.
In addition, the composition of volatile substances indicates that kvass was produced not by fermentation, but by a combination of various components - which means this product cannot be called natural kvass.
As part of a fan study by Roskachestvo, the 30 most popular kvass brands among Russian consumers were studied according to 26 quality and safety parameters. The cost of production ranged from 27 to 75 rubles per unit of goods. Almost all of the goods studied were produced on the territory of the Russian Federation (in Bryansk, Vladimir, Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Novgorod, Tver, Ulyanovsk regions, in the Republic of Chuvashia, in the Stavropol Territory, as well as in Moscow and St. Petersburg). The only exception was one product of Belarusian origin. According to the test results, it turned out that more than half of the brands studied produce high-quality kvass. Among them are “365 days”, “Bochkovoy classic”, “Volzhanka”, “Vyatsky”, “Home barrel”, “Lidsky”, “Our family”, “Nizhegorodsky”, “Nikola”, “Okay”, “Opokhmeloff” ", "Ochakovsky", "Rye Barrel", "Russian Gift", "Russian Kvass", "Family Secret" and "Yakhont". The decision to assign the state Quality Mark to these goods will be made by Roskachestvo after conducting a production assessment, during which the level of localization of products will be determined, among other things; Lidsky kvass, which meets the increased standard of Roskachestvo, cannot claim the Russian Quality Mark due to its foreign origin. The study also identified several products that may disappoint consumers. Based on the results of laboratory tests, three samples did not comply with the technical regulations of the Customs Union and were considered unsafe. Also among the products studied, products were found that were more reminiscent of a carbonated drink: that is, a product obtained not as a result of fermentation, but through artificial carbonation. Therefore, if you want to drink high-quality and safe, real kvass, use the Roskachestvo study - details below.
STANDARD OF THE RUSSIAN QUALITY SYSTEM
The standard of the Russian Quality System established for kvass worthy of the Russian Quality Mark additional requirements for such important quality indicators as the mass fraction of organic acids and the mass concentration of volatile components. It is these indicators that help identify signs of falsification in kvass. The required level of product localization for the assignment of the state Quality Mark is at least 98% of the cost of the product.
Nowadays it is believed that kvass is a traditional Russian drink. The first mention of it coincides with the year of the Baptism of Rus'! However, few people know that the history of this drink goes back several thousand years!
– Kvass is a long-standing heritage of humanity,
– says the historian of Russian cuisine Pavel Syutkin. – For example, kvass was made in Ancient Egypt. But it was in Rus', due to natural conditions and raw materials, that it took root. In other countries, drinks of this kind were either forgotten or turned into beer, so kvass began to be considered a truly Russian “invention.” The chronicle of 996 notes that newly converted Christians, by decree of Prince Vladimir, were treated to “food, honey and kvass.” However, this is only the first written mention! We can say with confidence: kvass appeared in Rus' much earlier.
You can read about other interesting facts from the history of kvass.
The fact that the popularity of kvass has not waned to this day is supported both by its ability to quench thirst during hot periods, and by other beneficial properties that this drink is incredibly generous with.
“As a product of lactic acid fermentation, kvass has the same beneficial properties as yogurt, kefir, bifidok, tan or kumys,” a nutritionist at Genetic Diversity LLC based at MIPT, a member of the National Society of Dietetics of Russia, explains to Roskachestvo. Anna Korobkina. – It prevents the proliferation of pathogenic flora, having a beneficial effect on the intestinal’s own beneficial microflora, and has bactericidal properties. Kvass also has a stimulating effect on gastric secretion, which can be useful for older people, who often have atrophic gastritis. Kvass is a tonic drink, contains B vitamins, vitamin C, which are water-soluble and do not have a “depot” in our body (unlike fat-soluble A, D, E, K), therefore they must be supplied with food daily: they are important for our nervous system and immunity. Kvass can also be useful for hypertensive patients, as it has a mild diuretic effect. As for gaining excess weight, I would like to note that kvass does not have a very high energy value: it consists mainly of carbohydrates. However, given that no one drinks 100 grams of kvass (which contains 20 kcal), a half-liter glass of kvass will be about 100 kcal. However, since the drink contains calories, our body perceives it as food. It’s probably not worth linking the consumption of kvass itself and the appearance of excess weight, although due to the carbon dioxide contained in kvass, it increases appetite.
The time will come - and the kvass will arrive: about the technology of kvass production
In order to understand the quality of kvass, you need to know how it is produced. Often a person has no idea as a result of what complex processes this or that product appeared on his table...
“The raw material for the production of kvass is grain (rye, fermented rye malt - it is this that gives kvass its dark brown color and the taste and aroma of the crust of rye bread," Roskachestvo was told at the Museum of Traditional Russian Beverages. – Kvass wort is prepared from grain products, into which a combined starter consisting of yeast and lactic acid bacteria is added. The main process of kvass production begins - fermentation, which occurs precisely through the joint activity of yeast and lactic acid bacteria. Our ancestors used this technology to prepare very tasty and healthy kvass. Traditional, real Russian kvass should be considered only that which is prepared using double fermentation technology - yeast and lactic acid, as this drink was made in Rus'. It was produced in the same way in the USSR. Today, most producers prefer to make kvass using a simplified technology of single yeast fermentation. This is a gross violation of traditional technology, and most importantly, the drink obtained in this way does not have the healing properties of traditional kvass.
As mentioned above, classic kvass is wort (barley malt, rye malt, rye flour or corn), water, sugar, yeast and lactic acid bacteria. According to GOST, it is allowed to add citric or lactic acid to the product. But if kvass contains sweeteners, flavors and other additional ingredients, then it may not be kvass at all, but a carbonated drink. Such a drink can be obtained not by natural fermentation, but by blending various substances.
“There used to be a GOST for kvass drinks, but now it’s been gone for three years, and with it there’s no term “kvass drink,” the Acting Director of the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Brewing, Non-Alcoholic and Winemaking Industry, Candidate of Technical Sciences, explained to Roskachestvo. Konstantin Kobelev. – There is only the term “kvass”, which is regulated by GOST for finished products, so it can be used by all manufacturers who preserve the traditional recipe. But at this time there is also a GOST for terms and definitions for soft drinks, which requires revision due to the fact that this GOST has no restrictions on the use of certain food additives: it allows manufacturers to produce products under the name “kvass” according to specifications with food additives that are permitted by technical regulations for safe commercial products. I think that changes will be made to GOST terms and definitions, after which order will be brought to the terminology.
By the way, we have already encountered a similar situation when researching chocolate, and Roskachestvo will work to solve this problem.
However, such a substitution of fermentation will not remain a sealed secret for the consumer. There are indicators that indicate indirect signs that this is not kvass, but perhaps a carbonated drink. Read more about some of them below.
Cultivated and uncultivated yeast: about the content of pathogenic yeasts and molds in kvass
“The yeast that is used to make kvass is baker’s, brewer’s or kvass yeast,” Deputy General Director of MIC “Beer and Beverages XXI Century” LLC, Candidate of Biological Sciences, tells Roskachestvo. Valeria Isaeva. – But during the production of kvass, other microorganisms are also encountered - pest yeasts, as well as molds and pest bacteria. The reasons for their development are related to contamination of the air, raw materials, equipment and production premises, that is, the presence of sources of infection, of which there are a lot in production. Thus, non-compliance with the sanitary and microbiological conditions of production leads to the appearance of pest yeasts, bacteria and molds. And if yeast does not have a strong effect on human health, then mold produces a very large amount of toxins, which, in turn, can cause a lot of diseases.
During tests carried out by Roskachestvo, three samples were identified in which the yeast behaved “uncultured”. But seriously, in kvass under the trademarks “Appetizingly Round the Year”, “Bouquet of Chuvashia” and “Suzdal Drinks”, excesses of the standards established by the CU TR for the content of yeast and molds in kvass were found.
The sweet life of kvass: about the presence of sweeteners in kvass
In order for kvass to “ferment” during the production process, it must “feed” on sugar. However, some unscrupulous manufacturers replace sugar with other sugar-containing substances or use sweeteners in addition to it. Does such a substitution “taste” kvass?
– When producing kvass, the use of sweeteners is not allowed! – states Valeria Isaeva. – And manufacturers who add sweeteners, in an amicable way, do not have the right to call the product they produce kvass, because the requirements of GOST are violated. If the product is manufactured according to GOST, then the raw material composition must be observed unconditionally! If it is not observed, it means that the manufacturer is deceiving the consumer: this is not kvass. An experienced taster can easily determine the presence of sweeteners in kvass: this will be indicated by dry mouth, repeated thirst, and the taste itself.
During a study by Roskachestvo, a product containing sugar substitutes was discovered. This is kvass under the brand name “Eco kvass”. However, the manufacturer hid the fact that it contained sweeteners and did not indicate them in the composition on the drink label.
Also, sugar substitutes were found in samples under the trademarks “Appetizing All Year Round”, “Big Favorite”, “Yellow Barrel”, “Red Price”, “First of All”, “What You Need!” and Fine Life. These products are not manufactured in accordance with GOST, therefore the presence of sweeteners in them cannot be considered a violation of the law. However, the listed trademarks are deprived of the opportunity to qualify for the Russian Quality Mark. By the way, the presence of sweeteners in kvass is honestly announced by the composition of these products, indicated on the label: it includes the sweet food mixture “Marmix 25” (containing fructose and sweeteners E950, E952 and E954).
“The Americans blamed sweeteners for another outbreak of obesity in the United States, and here’s why: our taste buds react to the sweet taste, give a signal, after which insulin production begins and the burning of glucose in the blood,” says Anna Korobkina. – Since when using sweeteners, no real carbohydrates are supplied with food, hypoglycemia occurs (when blood sugar levels drop. – Ed.), which provokes a strong feeling of hunger, a desire to eat something sweet. This is logical, because the blood sugar level has dropped. The next time you receive carbohydrates from food, the body begins to store them in the form of fats. This is called the cephalic reflex. Aspartame is a very well-studied unsafe sweetener. It forms methanol in the body, and then formaldehyde, a dangerous carcinogen (that is, a substance that causes cancer). Saccharin (E954) is also a carcinogen.
Also, samples of the studied products were tested for the presence of cyclamic acid.
“Cyclamic acid is sodium cyclamate, and sodium cyclamate is a sweetener, which is designated on food labels as E952 and is cyclamic acid and two variants of its salts - potassium and sodium,” explained the Museum of Traditional Russian Beverages. – This food additive is a carcinogen and was banned in the USA back in the 1970s.
The presence of cyclamic acid was detected in samples under the trademarks “Appetizingly All Year Round”, “Big Favorite”, “Yellow Barrel”, “Red Price”, “First Thing”, “What You Need!”, “Eko Kvass” and Fine Life. However, this cannot be considered a violation, since these goods are manufactured according to specifications.
Still the same dry matter: about the mass fraction of dry matter in the product
The indicator of the mass fraction of dry substances characterizes the naturalness of the product. This parameter may be known to consumers studying the results of Roskachestvo tests, for example, on the study of condensed milk.
“Kvass wort concentrate contains about 68% dry matter,” explains Valeria Isaeva. – It is he who will transfer the required amount of dry matter to kvass. GOST provides for the initial content of the extract in the finished kvass. If the mass fraction of dry matter in kvass is less than the lower limit of this indicator, then it is not kvass, but actually water. Most likely, manufacturers saved on raw materials, and the consumer will again be deceived. When preparing the wort, they could have added insufficient kvass wort concentrate, sugar, or diluted the kvass with water. In any case, the recipe for the production of such “kvass” was violated. Although the drink is obtained by fermentation, the output is water. You can also taste it. Kvass should be full, have a so-called “body”, but this drink does not have it: it is watery. If the product also contains a high alcohol content, most likely it has fermented for too long.
According to the test results, the mass fraction of dry matter below the norm established by GOST was found in kvass under the “Appetizingly Round the Year” trademark. However, this cannot be officially recognized as a violation, since this product was manufactured according to specifications.
We wandered and flew: about organic acids and volatile components of kvass
Two more important indicators of kvass quality are the mass fraction of organic acids and the mass concentration of volatile components. Both are produced during the fermentation of kvass.
“Real kvass is a fermented drink, but a carbonated drink is not a fermented drink,” explains Valeria Isaeva. – Of course, this is easy to determine by the amount of organic acids in it. When yeast begins to ferment, metabolic products are released, including organic acids and volatile components. And if the manufacturer simply took the ingredients and mixed them, the necessary organic acids and volatile components will not be in the manufactured product.
The leading standard of Roskachestvo for kvass formulates requirements for these indicators, since deviations in them may indirectly indicate a change in the kvass production technology or its falsification. According to the test results, the composition of volatile components uncharacteristic for kvass is found in samples under the trademarks “Ivanov Kvass”, OJSC “Ostankino Beverage Plant”, “Khlebny Krai”, as well as “Eko kvass”. This is not a violation, since these indicators are not regulated by Russian legislation. However, Roskachestvo considers it necessary to notify the reader about these discrepancies.
Non-alcoholic contains alcohol - a paradox! About the proportion of alcohol in kvass
– The opinion that kvass was a folk alcoholic drink is not true, dispels the myth Pavel Syutkin. – Kvass has never been a particularly alcoholic drink - no more than 1-2 degrees. If kvass is prepared correctly, then fermented milk fermentation stops alcoholic fermentation. Until the 16th century, the real intoxicating drink was the so-called set honey - a solution of liquid honey with berry (fruit) juice, which fermented naturally and could be infused for years. Later, in order to reduce the cost, they began to add sourdough to it. Since the 16th–17th centuries, our alcoholic drink has been a distillate made from grain raw materials. Even Vladimir Dahl’s dictionary, as an interpretation of the verb “ferment,” gives only the definition “to ferment, sour, sour.” There is nothing related to drunkenness there.
Today, kvass in Russia is a type of soft drink. However, since the technology for making kvass is based on fermentation, it certainly contains a certain amount of ethyl alcohol.
“If kvass contains more alcohol than is established by regulatory standards (according to GOST, kvass should contain no more than 1.2% ethyl alcohol), then it cannot be released for sale,” notes Valeria Isaeva. – Such an excess indicates a clear violation of the technological process: conditions were created in which the yeast fermented longer than expected. Well, if there is very little alcohol or no alcohol at all, then, most likely, fermentation did not occur at all, and the product was created by blending. Again, this is not kvass, but a carbonated drink.
During the study, one sample was found with a high alcohol content (1.5%). This is kvass under the brand name “Appetizingly All Year Round”. Interestingly, among the samples there were products that contained too little ethyl alcohol. But this, we repeat, is not a violation of regulatory laws.
By the way, there is an opinion among people that since there is a “degree” in kvass, you should not drink it if you are going to drive. And traffic police officers recommend completely abstaining from alcohol-containing drinks if you have to drive during the day, despite the fact that the permissible alcohol limit while driving is 0.16 ppm in exhaled air and 0.35 ppm in the blood (
7 bubbles that we took for testing
"OCHAKOVSKY"
30 kcal/100 g
Alcohol: 1,5%
Quote from packaging: Genuine kvass. Produced from natural products.
Design: 2
Taste: 3
partial (made from kvass wort).
Alexey Yablokov: “An iron can is the wrong container for kvass. And the design is kind of artisanal.”
Alexey Tsyganov: "Nothing like this! An iron can is closest in properties to a can - the most appropriate container.”
Ira Pasadskaya: “In Vitebsk everyone drinks this kind of kvass. Great, just like when I was a kid!”
"KVASENOK"
34 kcal/100 g
Alcohol: 0,5%
Design: 1
Taste: 1
Compliance with the original recipe: remote (made from wort concentrate, plant extracts and similar surrogates).
Alexey Tsyganov: “It tastes like old cough drops, the brown ones, I don’t remember what they’re called.”
Ira Pasadskaya: “In Vitebsk they would beat you for such kvass.”
Alexander Cherkudinov: “Wow, and the bottle is kind of ugly.”
"PROVINCE"
32 kcal/100 g
Alcohol: 0%
Design: 3
Taste: 2
Compliance with the original recipe: complete.
Alexey Tsyganov:“It tastes like a crust of sour black bread, smeared with honey.”
Natasha Timonkina:“The bottle is very similar to a beer bottle. This is bad. I’ll come to the store for kvass, and everyone will think: “That girl got so much beer!”
Andrey Prokofiev:“Yes, this is not kvass at all, some kind of diluted molasses.”
"NIKOLA"
37 kcal/100 g
Alcohol: 1,5%
Quote from packaging:“Slight sediment from baking supplies is acceptable.”
Design: 1
Taste: 1
Compliance with the original recipe: partial (made from malt and flour).
Andrey Prokofiev: “The smell of dark beer again. And the taste, contrary to advertising, is very similar to cola.”
Alexey Yablokov: “This is sour cola. Although cola doesn’t turn sour, that’s the paradox.”
Natasha Timonkina: « You are all victims of advertising. Because of her, you all think that Nikola tastes like cola. But in fact, it’s just a ridiculous taste, not like kvass.”
Recipe for real bread kvass:
WHAT YOU NEED: 1 kg bread, 6 l water, 30 g sugar, 20 g yeast, 50 g raisins
WHAT TO DO:
Cut the black bread into slices and dry in the oven. Pour water over the crackers and leave for 3-4 hours. Strain the infusion, add yeast and sugar and leave to ferment in a warm, dark place for 5-6 hours. Strain the foamed infusion again, pour into bottles, add a few raisins to each, seal and put in a cool place for 2-3 days.
MALT BEVERAGE “3 HORSES”
51 kcal/100 g
Alcohol: 0%
Design: 3
Taste: 1
Compliance with the original recipe: partial (made from malt).
Alexey Yablokov:
“Dog food diluted in blooming river water.”
Ira Pasadskaya:
“Some nasty tomato juice.”
Ivan Glushkov
(Coughs violently and yells.)
GLOBAL VILLAGE
32 kcal/100 g
Alcohol: 0%
Design: 3
Taste: 2
Compliance with the original recipe: complete.
Alexey Tsyganov: “My esophagus was poisoned by “3 horses”, I’m temporarily out of the tasting process.”
Alexander Cherkudinov: “But what a beautiful bottle. Small and convenient, kvass should only be in these.”
Ivan Glushkov: "By the way,«
Province»
and this one is the only properly prepared kvass made from bread. But it didn’t help them.”
"DELICIOUS"
29 kcal/100 g
Alcohol: 0%
Quote from packaging:“DO NOT store a sealed bottle in a warm place. This could lead to a breakup."
Design: 3
Taste: 5
Compliance with the original recipe: partial (made from wort).
Andrey Prokofiev:
“This is the real smell and taste of kvass. True, it’s a little sour.”
Alexander Cherkudinov:“Oh, this is southern kvass. Sourish and light, as expected. It will make an excellent okroshka.”
Ivan Glushkov: “Excellent summer kvass. The sourness is just what we need.”
