Bulgaria: Bulgarian brewers report increased sales in 2022

Breweries in Bulgaria sold 5.23 million hectolitres (hl) of beer in 2022, taking up 13th spot in terms of sales volume in the EU, with Germany traditionally at the top, the Union of Brewers in Bulgaria (UBB) said on December 12.

Beer sales in Bulgaria marked an annual increase of some 80,000 hectolitres last year, the Union said in a press release quoting Eurostat data.

In 2021, breweries in Bulgaria sold 5.15 million hectolitres (hl) of beer, a UBB spokesperson told SeeNews.

In terms of beer production volumes, Bulgaria moved two places up to 15th position in 2022. Last year, more than 358 million hl were produced in the EU, up 4% on 2021.

Over the past three years, Bulgarian brewers have invested over 60 million levs ($33.1 million/30.7 million euro) in green innovation projects, while more than 12 million levs deployed for talent development and improving occupational health and safety.

The Bulgarian beer industry has the second-highest employer reputation in Europe after the Czech Republic, according to UBB's executive director, Ivana Radomirova.

Beer production and consumption are gradually returning to the pre-pandemic levels of 2019, according to the annual report of the Brewers of Europe industry association quoted in the press release. More than 317 million hl of beer were sold in EU countries in 2022, compared to 301 million hl in the previous year. Non-alcoholic beers have increased their market share to over 5% and are shaping up as a major driver of future sales growth, in particular in the 19-30 age bracket.

Growth and exports in particular are hindered by the significant increase in production expenses, which were over 20% higher in mid-2023 than in 2019, coupled with a sharp rise in logistics and delivery costs.

A total of 180 new breweries opened in Europe last year, bringing the total count to 9,680. France had the largest number of breweries, 2,500 in total of which 2,300 are microbreweries. As many as 2.6 million people are directly employed in the European beer industry, according to the European industry body's report.

The UBB's members include major Bulgarian brewing companies such as Zagorka, Kamenitza, Carlsberg Bulgaria, Lomsko Pivo, Bolyarka - VT, Britos, and Dorovski Invest, which is behind the Glarus craft beer range, as well as their equipment and raw material suppliers. Together, the UBB members account for 99% of beer produced in Bulgaria.

E-malt.com, the global information source for the brewing and malting industry professionals. The bi-weekly E-malt.com Newsletters feature latest industry news, statistics in graphs and tables, world barley and malt prices, and other relevant information. Click here to get full access to E-malt.com. If you are a Castle Malting client, you can get free access to E-malt.com website and publications. Contact us for more information at marketing@castlemalting.com .