Russia: Carlsberg looking to launch another craft brewery in Moscow

Carlsberg�s Russian craft brewing division, Hoppy Union LLC, is planning to launch a third production facility in the country, Pivnoe Delo reported on October 20.

In addition to its Nizhny Novgorod and Novosibirsk breweries, the company is aiming at opening a new brewery in Moscow (or central Russia, according to the company�s general manager) by the end of the year.

According to the company, it has encountered many issues trying to expand by acquiring other breweries in Russia. �Many breweries can�t be purchased: there are either issues with their accounting, or there are too many owners and it�s just impossible to reach an agreement. We are not interested in 10-15% stakes, we need 51% and more. There are many breweries but it�s not easy to buy any,� Hoppy Union general manager Igor Mayorkin said.

Hoppy Union is also looking at exporting its products by 2022, he added.