Obolon CJSC

Obolon CJSC

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Type	Private
Industry	beverages
Founded	Kiev, Ukraine (1992)
Headquarters	Kiev, Ukraine
Key people	Oleksandr Slobodian, ex-CEO
Products	beer, sodas, cocktails, mineral water
Revenue	not disclosed
Operating income	not disclosed
Net income	UAH 175 million (2009)
Employees	more than 7,000
Website	www.obolon.com

Obolon CJSC (Ukrainian: ЗАТ "Оболонь") is a Ukrainian producer of beverages. These include low alcohol drinks (cocktails), soda drinks and locally extracted natural mineral water. Obolon CJSC has sites across the Ukraine and employs several thousand staff. Its main plant in Kiev is the largest brewing facility in Ukraine by capacity.

History

The company's main brewery was built in 1980 according to designs made by Czech engineers, near an artesian well in Kiev's Obolon district. Initially called Kiev brewery #3, it acquired the name "Obolon" in 1986. In 1992, Obolon became the first privatized company in independent Ukraine and registered its corporate brand Obolon (Ukrainian: Оболонь). The shares of company stock were distributed among its employees. In 1993, Obolon changed its legal status to a closed joint-stock company. In 1997, Obolon obtained a $40 million loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, which the company used to significantly expand its production capacities.

In 2009 Obolon obtained a further $50 million loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development towards financial stability and increased energy efficiency.^[1]

Oleksandr Slobodian, the CEO and veteran of the company is also a national politician. He is a member of the Verkhovna Rada and has represented the conservative People's Movement of Ukraine) for three consecutive sessions.

The main Obolon plant on Bohatyrska Str. in Kiev

Structure

Obolon has its main site in Kiev and 8 satellite sites in the Ukraine:

• Bershad (Vinnytsia region),
• Fastiv (Kiev region),
• Krasyliv and Chemerivtsi (Khmelnytskyi region),
• Oleksandria (Kirovohrad region),
• Okhtyrka (Sumy region), and
• Sevastopol.

Obolon beer mix advertisement (Kiev Metro, summer 2008).

Products and market share

Obolon sells beer under six brands: Obolon, Obolon BeerMix, Magnat, hike premium beer, Zibert and Desant. Brands for its non-alcoholic products are Zhyvchyk, Prozora and Obolonska mineral waters, and the Jett line of energy drinks. The enterprise also produces low-alcohol beverages, such as kvass. Obolon bottles Bitburger beer under license.

Obolon is the largest Ukrainian exporter of beer, accounting for 80% of Ukrainian beer exports, with most of its exports being supplied to Russia.

Quality standards

The Obolon Corporation has its own malting plant able to produce 120,000 tonnes of malt per year. The malting plant uses equipment from the German company Schmidt-Seeger. Obolon uses the malt in its own products and exports it.

Obolon is quality certified to international standards: ISO 9001:2001 (Quality Management Systems), ISO 22 000:2007 (Food Safety Management Systems), ISO 14 001:2006 (Environmental Management Systems), and OHSAS 18 001:2006 (Occupational Health and Safety Systems).

Social investments

The company invests in projects aimed at reducing adverse environmental impact. Obolon is also actively involved in educational projects, charitable and cultural initiatives. It has contributed to restoration of churches and monasteries and to publishing of Ukrainian books.

Sports patronage

Obolon has sponsored FC Obolon Kyiv since 1999. The club is currently in the Ukraine's senior football league. The company has also created a nation-wide system of junior football teams. The company's CEO was an amateur footballer in his youth.

See also

• Beer
• Economy of Ukraine

References

1. ^ EBRD loans $50mn to Obolon brewery, Interfax-Ukraine (December 22, 2009)

External links

• (Ukrainian)/(Russian)/(English) Official site of the company