The ranking also includes Stalinskaya vodka brand produced by Prodal ’94, and Angelli liqueur brand manufactured by Angelli Spumante & Aperitive, each of the two producers owning a production unit in Bucharest.
The five biggest spirits brands produced domestically totalled sales of 15 million liters, worth over EUR100 million at shelf prices. On average, the shelf price of Romanian spirits brands revolves around 32 lei (EUR7) per liter, according to ZF estimates.
Also, the five brands beat, by volume, international labels such as Jack Daniel’s or J&B, which sold below one million liters each in Romania.
In 2013, Tarie de Bihor, leader of the market, posted sales of 3.85 million liters, up 3% on the year. The brand is produced by Scandic Distilleries, a company controlled by Romanian entrepreneurs Ioan and Viorel Micula.
Ranking second among the best-selling Romanian brands is Cava D’Oro, produced by Alexandrion Grup Romania, which sold around 3.7 million liters last year.
“For 2014, the forecast is close to last year’s sales. The flat volumes in 2014 include Distileriile Alexandrion in the market balancing-out trend,” says Nawaf Salameh, founder and president of Alexandrion Grup Romania, Romania’s largest spirits producer, with revenue of EUR23 million last year.
The label of Unirea, the third best-selling product in the category of domestic spirits, specifies that this is made in Romania and that it is distributed by Gemarco Industry, with revenue of RON181 million in 2013. The company is owned by George Ivanescu and Gheorghe Zlotea. The two are also present in the shareholding structure of Euroavipo, whose portfolio includes Unirea brand.
The brand in 2013 sold 3.5 million liters, up around 5% on the year, according to The IWSR data.
Stalinskaya vodka brand, the only one in this category present among the best-selling domestic brands, registered sales of 2.3 million liters in 2013, down 7% on the year.
“2014 sales will be hurt by the rising excises and also by our decision to cut inventories on the market, and we put them around 2.2 million liters. Recent years’ losses were however offset by rising exports,” stated Florin Radulescu, general manager of Prodal group that includes companies Prodal ’94 (the producer) and Granddis (the distribution company).
The producer of Stalinskaya, which also holds Wembley brand in its portfolio, ended 2013 with revenue of around RON35 million (around EUR8 million).
Angelli, a liqueur produced by Angelli Spumante&Aperitive, a company owned by Henkell group, ended 2013 with 1.85 million sold liters, according to The IWSR.
The largest domestic spirits producers are Alexandrion Grup Romania, founded by Nawaf Salameh, Scandic Distilleries, held by Romanian entrepreneurs Ioan and Viorel Micula and Prodal ’94, a producer owned by Kanani Jabbar. They compete with importers such as BDG Import (Jack Daniel’s) or Pernod Ricard.
(English version by Catalina Apostoiu)