Efes Beverage Group was founded in Turkey in 1969, and today consists of fifteen breweries in Turkey, Russia, the CIS countries and Southeast Europe, with headquarters in Istanbul and corporate branches in Izmir. Named after the ancient city of Ephesus (Turkish, "Efes") located near the Izmir brewery, the company is a subsidiary of Anadolu Group, and is the largest producer of beer in Turkey with approximately 82% of the market share. As the 8th most popular European brand by sales volume and the 6th largest European brewer on combined production basis, the company owns and operates fifteen breweries in five countries (Turkey, Russia, Kazakhstan, Moldova and Serbia) with a cumulative capacity of 34-million-hectoliters, and six malteries with a combined capacity of 236,500-tonnes. [1] The flagship product, Efes Pilsen (called Efes Pilsener in English) gets its unique taste from rice added into the ingredients at brewing stage. The 5.0% ABV beer has been described to have a "tangy malt and hops aroma, rich malt in the mouth, and a bitter-sweet finish that becomes dry and hoppy", [2] and has won more than a dozen awards through the years, starting with the 1981 Monde Selection Bruxelles Gold Medal; the 1979 Golden Caraius 19th Caralious Gold Medal; the 1973 Selection Mondial Paris Gold Medal; and the 1972 12th Annual World Beer and Non-Alcoholic Drinks Selection Gold and Silver Medals for Dark Beer and White Beer, respectively. The Efes Beverage Group is the primary sponsor of its namesake Turkish basketball team, Efes Pilsen S.K. who has been playing in top European basketball league named Euroleague for many consequtive years.

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Product line

In addition to its flagship Pilsener, Efes also produces several other beers, including Efes Dark (double-roasted malt lager with 6.5% alcohol and hints of caramel), Efes Light (a 122.7-calorie and 3.0% ABV take on the original), Efes Xtra (a hoppier, 8.0% ABV lager), Efes Ice (a softer, more aromatic, ice-brewed version with 4.2% alcohol), and Efes Dark Brown (a 6.1% ABV double-roasted malt lager with a distinct coffee and chocolate bouquet).

Other brands under the Efes Beverage Group are Gusta (5.0% ABV), the company's wheat beer brand; Mariachi , under which the lime or agave-flavored beers Mariachi (4.2% ABV) and Mariachi Black (6.0% ABV) are produced; Marmara, under which the strong-beers Marmara Kirmizi (6.1% ABV) and Marmara Gold (4.1% ABV) are produced; and Ritmix , the company's line of fruit-flavored, non-alcoholic malt drinks.

Various international brands have been brewed, marketed and distributed in Turkey through Efes Beverage Group in recent years, including Miller Genuine Draft as of 2000, Beck's as of May 2002, and Foster's Lager as of March 2005.

In international markets, in addition to the aforementioned Efes product line, the company offers a wide variety of local brands with different tastes and appeal. Currently, these are Stary Melnik, Beliy Medved, Sokol, Krasny Vostok, Solodov, Zhigulevskoe, Vostochnaya, Ershistoe, Gold Beer, Polniy Nokaut, Sib-Beer, Yantarnoe, Barkhatnoe, Bogemskoe svetloe, Ak Bars, Green Beer, Kvas in Russia; Karagandinskoe in Kazakhstan; Chisinau, Vitanta Premium Classic, Vitanta Premium Extra in Moldova; Weifert, Weifert Belo, Pils Plus, Zajecarsko Pivo and Standard in Serbia & Montenegro. ^[3] Such local brands continue to contribute to the company's international revenue stream.

Efes Beverage group further produces German Warsteiner, Dutch Bavaria Premium and Amsterdam Navigator, Czech Zlatopramen and Mexican Sol under licence in Russia.

Market reach

Aside from its domestic market in Turkey, where it currently has 82% market share, Efes exports to over 50 markets in the Middle East, Europe, Africa and North America, including the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, New Zealand, Australia, Russia and South Africa. In the UK it is sold by the Wetherspoons pub chain.

As of 2008, the company is ranked fourth in the Russian market with 9% market share, third in Serbia with 9% market share, second in Kazakhstan with 23% market share, and first in Moldova with 72% market share. ^[1]

Efes is also the largest local shareholder of the Coca-Cola franchise in Turkey and produces a range of soft drinks. Muhtar Kent, named to assume the post of CEO of the Coca-Cola Company on July 1, 2008, was the top executive of Efes Beverage Group from 1999 through 2005.

References

1. Anadolu Efes Investor Fact Sheet 2008: http://www.efesbev.com/factsheet/AEFES_investor_fact_sheet.pdf
2. Robert Joseph, Roger Protz, Dave Broom. ''The Complete Encyclopedia of Wine Beer and Spirits''. Carlton Books.New York: 2000. ISBN 1-84222-063-2
3. Efes Brands: http://www.efesbev.com/our_group/beer_brands.aspx
4. Anadolu Efes Investor Fact Sheet 2008: http://www.efesbev.com/factsheet/AEFES_investor_fact_sheet.pdf