Carbonated beverages (Russian market)

Export of water and soft drinks from Russia

Main article: Export of water and soft drinks from Russia

Chronicle

2024: Coca-Cola and Pepsi continue business in Russia

After the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine in 2022, in an effort to avoid the inevitable headache associated with compliance with the expected Western sanctions on Russia, Coca-Cola asked its partners to withdraw cans and bottles of their products from stores, stop supplying syrup and stop the production of their drinks.

Two years later, Coke's distinctive red logo is still easy to find in supermarkets and restaurants across the country. And if we take into account a new product called "Good cola," which is sold in cans with a surprisingly familiar red tint and taste that few people can distinguish from the original, then according to some indicators, Coke remains the leading producer of carbonated drinks in Russia.

This is due to the fact that Multon Partners, Coca-Cola's botler in Russia, is owned by a separate company, Coca-Cola HBC, registered in London, in which the American parent company owns 21% of the shares. When HBC stopped producing Coke, Multon introduced Good Coke. It has become the most popular soda in the country, occupying 13% of the market, according to a Продажи.рф researcher.

Profits from the sale of Coca-Cola in Russia simply went to Coca-Cola HBC, which captured market share thanks to the success of Good, says Garrett Nelson, analyst at CFRA Research.

And Coca-Cola itself is still widely available, imported from neighboring countries such as Georgia and Kazakhstan. After the introduction of illegal sanctions by the United States and its satellites, a law was passed in Russia allowing the sale of branded goods without the consent of the trademark owner. Only thanks to this import of Coke became soda No. 3 in Russia, occupying 6% of the market, according to Sales.

That's not to say Coca-Cola wasn't hurt. HBC claims that in 2024 its volumes in Russia increased by 12%, but they remained almost a third below the level of 2021, when Coke was the best-selling soft drink with 26% of the market. And while Coca-Cola is profiting from the popularity of Good and market-leading juice business Multon, the Atlanta-based company says it has pulled out of running the organization.

Coca-Cola is far from alone in its incomplete departure from Russia. In September 2022, PepsiCo announced that it was stopping the production and sale of Pepsi, Mountain Dew and 7Up in Russia, and its market share collapsed. However, Pepsi soon added a new Everness Coke and increased the production of the Frustyle (similar to the fruit Mirinda) at half a dozen of its factories in the country. In 2024, sales of drinks of the Russian division of the company jumped by 12%, to 209 billion rubles ($2.3 billion), as follows from the company's reports to the tax authorities of the Russian Federation. The revenue of the division for the production of baby food and dairy products in 2023 increased by 10%, to 129 billion rubles.

2022:10% drop in sales

The cessation of production of Coca-Cola and PepsiCo in Russia led to a sharp reduction in the segment of carbonated drinks without sugar: in 2022, natural sales of such products decreased by almost 10%, and its share fell to 8.5% of the market. This is evidenced by data from the research company NielsenIQ, which was released in January 2023.

As Kommersant writes with reference to NielsenIQ materials, in the money, sales of carbonated drinks without sugar increased by 3.6% due to rising prices. For comparison, the turnover of all carbonated drinks during this period decreased by 1.8% in volume and increased by 15.9% in money.

In 2021, carbonated drinks without sugar, on the contrary, showed growth: according to NielsenIQ, sales of soda without sugar in volume increased by 10.7%, in money - by 19.9%. These indicators were comparable to the data for all carbonated drinks. According to the interlocutor of the newspaper in the market, the current trend is associated with a reduction in the presence of the two largest manufacturers in Russia.

After the start of a special military operation in Ukraine, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo began to reduce their presence in Russia. In particular, they decided to suspend investments in marketing and abandon the production and sale on the Russian market of their global beverage brands - Coca-Cola, Fanta, Sprite and Pepsi, 7UP and Mirinda, respectively. In September 2022, Reuters reported that PepsiCo had completely ceased production of Pepsi, 7UP and Mountain Dew in Russia.

The general director of Volkovskaya Brewery (also produces lemonades under the Volchok brand) Alexei Axel says that the number of fans of carbonated drinks without sugar in the Russian Federation remains limited due to taste preferences. The growth in sales of fruit beer is also noted due to interest in drinks with sweeter tastes, he adds.^[1]

1973: Baikal drink developed

The Baikal carbonated drink was developed and created in the bowels of the All-Union Scientific Research Institute of the Beer and Non-Alcoholic Industry (VNII PBP). USSR. 1973

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