The first Baltika Fest food festival was held in the Leningrad region

Russian beer producers have teamed up to bring the popularity of the domestic drink back and jointly bring the industry to a new level. The first meeting of the council created for these purposes was held the day before in the Leningrad region as part of the grandiose gastronomic festival Baltika Fest. Maxim Oblender, a correspondent for Izvestia, spoke about the most interesting moments of the festival on September 14.

The gastrofestival impresses with its scale, charges with emotions and amazes with an abundance of tastes. Karelian crayfish boil in pots, Black Sea shrimps are fried, a cauldron for 300 servings of Volga pilaf sizzles.

"We tried the Caucasus. The beef is awesome, I recommend it to everyone," said a visitor to the festival.

The guests of the festival were 6 thousand people who were fed and entertained throughout the day. While the guests were having fun, a meeting was held on the site, which will determine the vector of brewing in the country. The Council for the Development of the Beer and Alcohol industry, which appeared this year, includes both large players and very small, local craft breweries. Taimuraz Bolloev, the founder of Baltika, headed the new board.

"The disunity within the industry is so great that it is not a single center that makes the decision, but more than a dozen associations and unions that are somehow trying to regulate the situation. When we met separately with representatives of all areas, we came to the conclusion that it was necessary to create a Council," said Taimuraz Bolloev, Chairman of the Council for the Development of the Beer and Alcohol Industry, founder of Baltika.

The flagship of the Russian brewing industry is 35 years old this year. The company, which flourished in the 90s, ended up in foreign hands in the noughties. Finally, in 2024, having become fully Russian again, Baltika set a course to revive its best traditions.

"It has become a large company, a major taxpayer of our country. Thousands of employees, eight regions, dozens of countries where the relevant products are supplied," said Alexander Beglov, Governor of St. Petersburg.

All varieties for any gastronomic combinations were presented at the festival. And the guests came from a wide variety of cities.

"These are our products, the quality is very good, our water, our barley. Well, the most important thing is that we see that such festivals also promote tourism. The Leningrad Region is becoming more and more interesting for tourists every year," said Alexander Drozdenko, Governor of the Leningrad Region.

Impressive figures are presented at the Council meeting. The Russian beer market has made an unprecedented leap over the past year.

"In 2024, the market grew at a record pace, meaning it grew by 10.3%. This is an unprecedented figure. Growth has slowed this year. In the first 7 months of this year, we see an increase of only 1.8%," said Nikolai Tyurnikov, General Director of ABN BIOFES Beverages Together.

But brewers are correcting the situation quickly. New lines of drinks, new hectares of hops and barley. They refuse foreign raw materials. They encourage fair competition for our players by increasing duties on products from unfriendly countries.

"The shortage of aluminum cans is a problem that has hindered the development of Russian brewers and beverage manufacturers for many years. At the moment, this problem will be completely solved," said Alexey Sagal, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Arnest JSC.

Every day, the Russian foam drink is being restored to its identity. Including such festivals. Baltika Fest is a gastronomic voyage across Russia. Many are already comparing it to Oktoberfest.

"Not a bit worse. On the contrary, it's better. And it's always a holiday for the soul," the guests say.

It's a celebration for the whole family. The guests only have time to walk from the tables to the stage to sing along to their favorite artists.: Marie Crymbreri, "Chaif", "Disco Accident" — coincidentally, this group appeared in the same year as the Baltika company.

"In general, I am very glad that our gastronomic tastes have changed. This is our festival, it's actually better," says Vladimir Shakhrin, musician and leader of the Chaif group.

In every sip, in every toast, in every clink of glasses with our drinks. And the expert council has big plans to create a strong Russian brand to please not only our consumers, but also to gain a foothold in the foreign market, showing how you can relax with a world-famous drink with a Russian soul.

By leaps and bounds: the authorities are ready to support the development of the brewing industry

Domestic producers should not depend on imported raw materials — prospects will be discussed at the Baltika Fest food festival

The leader of the Chaif group, Vladimir Shakhrin, appreciated the Baltika Fest organization. According to him, this festival is much better than the German Oktoberfest. In addition, the guests of the event noted a lot of entertainment for the whole family and bright performances by artists.

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