5 September 2007 - Royal Grolsch N.V. of the Netherlands has signed a long-term licencing agreement with Efes Karaganda Brewery, the Kazakhstan beer operation of Efes Beer Group (EFES), which will represent the Grolsch specialty brand Amsterdam Navigator in Kazakhstan.
Efes will brew Amsterdam Navigator under licence in Kazakhstan and will oversee all local marketing, sales and distribution. The Amsterdam brand has grown substantially in Kazakhstan during the past year. Previously Efes imported Amsterdam Navigator from Russia. The agreement was signed at the end of August.
Rob Snel, President of Grolsch International is very happy with the new agreement with Efes: "Kazakhstan is an important market for the Amsterdam brand and together we created an excellent basis for further growth. Our agreement brings many logistical benefits as all the activities will take place directly in Kazakhstan. We expect the first Amsterdam beer to be brewed in Kazakhstan at the end of September."
Osman Çaglayan, General Manager of Efes Karaganda Brewery said, “The Kazakh beer market has experienced rapid growth over the last five years. We are delighted to be able to lead the expansion of Amsterdam Navigator into Kazakhstan, which already proved this year that it will be an attractive choice for Kazakh beer consumers in the years to come.”
The Amsterdam brand is showing solid growth worldwide. It is brewed in the Grolsch brewery in Enschede, the Netherlands and in the EFES breweries in Ufa and Rostov on Don in the Russian Federation.