MOSCOW, May 25 (RIA Novosti) – U.S. consumer foods and drinks giant, PepsiCo, plans to launch production of Russian traditional low alcohol drinks, cider, mead and sbiten, in the country under the Russkiy Dar [Russian Gift] brand name, Kommersant business daily reported on Friday.
The paper obtained PepsiCo’s application to the Russian Federal Service for Intellectual Property indicating that the company “is going to widen use of the Russkiy Dar brand name concerning such articles of trade as sbiten [hot drink based on honey mixed with water and spices], cider and mead”.
Currently, PepsiCo uses the Russkiy Dar brand to produce kvass at the Deka plant in Novgorod in Russia’s northwest. Deka’s co-owner, Andrei Mansky, told Kommersant that the plant “had not received any signals to produce other beverages besides kvass.”
PepsiCo declined to comment to the paper. The U.S. company controlled 29.5 percent of non-alcoholic beverages market in Russia in 2010 according to Euromonitor. In December 2010, PepsiCo bought a 76.98-percent stake in Russian dairy and juice maker Wimm-Bill-Dann for $5.8 billion.