Molson Coors Increases Its Stake In Eastern Europe

Molson Coors’ recent announcement that they had acquired London-based craft brewer Hop Stuff Brewery signaled the company’s intent to increase its European presence. And it builds upon an Eastern European acquisition they made earlier this summer…

In June Molson Coors, the parent company of MillerCoors, acquired a majority stake in Pardubický Pivovar, a 148-year-old regional brewer in The Czech Republic which brews a number of brands including Pernštejn, Taxis and Porter according to Behind the Beer.

Founded in 1871 and located about 75 miles east of Prague in the city of Pardubice. Pardubický is a significant brewing player in Eastern Europe. In 1890, the brewery introduced Pardubický Porter an 8% ABV Porter which was at that time the strongest bottom-fermented beer on the Continent.

“Molson Coors plans to invest millions into the brewery with the ambition of more than doubling production within a decade,” said Simon Cox, CEO of Molson Coors Europe, and Petr Kovařík, Molson Coors Europe’s managing director of the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, in a recent note to employees.

“Our goal is to layer on a strong craft portfolio to our current portfolio of traditional brands such as Staropramen, giving us a scaled operation with an enriched portfolio of regional and new-wave craft brands and new capabilities built into our current business.”

“We all believe that it is an important step and a milestone in the history of Czech brewing. {The deal} allows us to expand our offer by excellent, high-quality and interesting beers not only for local but also for our European operations.”

And while they expect most of the growth to come in the Czech Republic, the company also plans to expand its export volume which currently sees distribution across a broad range of countries including the EU, Russia, Israel and Canada.

As with the recent acquisition of Hop Stuff Brewery, a deal which includes the brewery’s three taprooms in London, the terms of the Pardubický Pivovar agreement were not disclosed.

And as Pete Marino, the president of MillerCoors craft and import arm, Tenth and Blake told Behind the Beer’s Peter Frost that MillerCoors has no immediate plans to bring brands from either brewery to the US… “Our focus and attention is squarely on growing our five craft partners in the United States.”

All image credits: Pardubický Pivovar