Baltic Beverages Holding AB (BBH) purchases 76% of the IRBIS brewery in Alma-Ata, Kazakstan. IRBIS is one of the flagship local beer brands. “The expansion into Kazakstan will contribute to BBH’s continued fast growth,” the company said.

BBH is to increase the brewing capacity to 0.8 million hl of beer by investing EUR 45 million in a new brewery that is planned to be ready in summer 2004. While building a new brewery IRBIS will be brewed both at the existing brewery and at some of BBH’s Russian breweries, the company reported.

According to BBH the consumption of beer in Kazakstan has increased by 20% in the last few years. The consumption per capita is 20 litres, which is the fourth of the Western European level, and therefore there is a fine potential of growth. The market is divided among a number of smaller of breweries.

“With a 13 per cent growth rate in the gross national product during the past few years, the economic development of Kazakstan has been stronger than that of any other previous Soviet republics. This year, the growth rate is expected to be approx. 8 per cent,” BBH said.