The first mention of kvass can be found in The Tale of Bygone Years. On the occasion of the baptism of the people of Kiev, Vladimir ordered to treat the people with "food, honey and kvass." Kvass was brewed in each family according to their own "secret recipes", the annual consumption of kvass was reduced to 200-280 liters per capita - I recall Pushkin's "They needed kvass like air."

Out of more than 150 kvass recipes, we have chosen 7 of the best.

Monastic

Russian monasteries were famous for their kvass, perhaps because the preparation of any food in them was preceded by a prayer. Today, monastery kvass is prepared as follows: they take a glass of kvass malt, 2 tablespoons of raisins, a lemon and an apple, a glass of rye flour, a tablespoon of mezha, a teaspoon of dried raspberry leaves and 2 liters of water. Boil rye flour with boiling water and let cool. Rinse the apple, lemon and raisins and pass through a meat grinder. Grind raspberry leaves, add honey, malt, apple-lemon-raisin gruel, brewed flour and the remaining water. Anise, cumin, sage or other spices can be used as flavors. Mix thoroughly and leave in a warm place for a couple of days to ferment. Strain, cool - monastery kvass is ready.

Old Russian

For 4 liters of water, take a glass of rye and wheat flour, as well as a glass of barley and rye malt, a tablespoon of liquid yeast and a handful of fresh mint leaves. Rye and barley malt, rye and wheat flour are mixed, poured with boiling water until the flour is moist. Infuse for an hour, dilute with hot water and let cool. Then the yeast is mixed in, half the mint leaves, covered with a napkin and waiting for the foam to appear. The liquid is drained, the second part of mint is added and - in the refrigerator (on ice). After 3-4 days, excellent kvass is ready!

Folk

Yeast sourdough is prepared from 70 grams of flour, a tablespoon of liquid yeast, 0.1 liters of water and 30 grams of honey. For one kilogram of rye malt, 1.3 kilograms of rye flour and 0.7 cups of yeast sourdough will be required. Kvass is prepared as follows: rye malt and coarse rye flour are kneaded in cold water and the dough is placed in a well-heated oven. After a day, the oven is heated again and the dough is left for another day. Then the dough is transferred to a container and diluted with 4 liters of warm water, while pouring water in a thin stream, constantly stirring. The resulting wort stand under the lid in a warm place for 15-20 hours. Then yeast and honey are added, mixed and again put in a warm place for 12-16 hours. Vigorous kvass is poured into bottles, which are recommended to be stored horizontally.

Peasant

Half a kilo of rye and 200 grams of barley malt are taken, as well as 300 grams of rye flour, 100 grams of rye crackers, 50 grams of stale rye bread, 700 grams of molasses and 40 grams of honey. Kvass is dark red, with a slight foam. The beauty of kvass prepared according to this recipe is that it can be stored in the cold for up to several months. So, malt and flour are kneaded in 3 liters of water. The dough stand 10-12 hours. Then they are transferred to an enameled container, covered with a lid, put in a hot oven and boiled for 3 hours. After that, mix, scraping off the walls, pour boiling water to the top and again in the oven for a day. Next - transfer to a large container, pour 9 liters of water, add crackers and bread, mix and stand for 8 hours. As soon as the thick settles and fermentation of the wort begins, it must be decanted, and the thick again pour 8 liters of hot water, stir and stand for 2-3 hours. Then again decant, pour 4 liters of boiling water, stir, defend and drain. Mint infusion, molasses are added to the resulting wort and left to ferment, while yeast should not be added. After 20 hours they clean it in a cold place, and when the fermentation subsides, molasses is added again and tightly closed. After 3 days, kvass, which has a chic sweet and sour taste, is ready.

Petrovsky

This kvass is prepared on the basis of the Russian bread kvass recipe. A kilogram of black bread is cut into small slices and dried in the oven. Crackers are poured with 6 liters of boiling water, and filtered after 10-12 hours. 25 grams of yeast and a tablespoon of wheat flour are mixed in a small amount of cooked infusion on crackers, poured into the infusion and put in a warm place. When the mixture is suitable, 10 grams of mint are brewed in it, boiled, adding 300 grams of sugar. Then cover with a napkin and put in a warm place. They are waiting for the appearance of thick foam, carefully remove it, filter it, bottle it (not to the brim!). Then the bottles are tightly corked and cleaned in a cold place. After 12 hours, Russian bread kvass is ready. Petrovsky kvass is obtained by adding 100 grams of horseradish and honey to heated Russian bread kvass, and 2-4 raisins and a handful of washed millet in each bottle.

As part of the rolling study of Roskachestvo, 30 of the most popular brands of kvass among Russian consumers were studied in 26 quality and safety parameters. The cost of production ranged from 27 to 75 rubles per unit of goods. Almost all the studied goods were produced on the territory of the Russian Federation (in the Bryansk, Vladimir, Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Novgorod, Tver, Ulyanovsk regions, in the Republic of Chuvashia, in the Stavropol Territory, as well as in Moscow and St. Petersburg). The only exception was one product of Belarusian production. According to the test results, it turned out that more than half of the studied brands produce high-quality kvass. Among them are “365 days”, “Barrel classic”, “Volzhanka”, “Vyatsky”, “Home barrel”, “Lida”, “Our family”, “Nizhny Novgorod”, “Nikola”, “OK”, “Opokhmeloff ”, “Ochakovsky”, “Rye barrel”, “Russian gift”, “Russian kvass”, “Family secret” and “Yakhont”. Roskachestvo will make a decision on awarding these goods with the State Quality Mark after an assessment of production, during which, among other things, the level of product localization will be determined; kvass "Lidsky", which meets the increased standard of Roskachestvo, cannot qualify for the Russian Quality Mark due to its foreign origin. The study also identified several products that may disappoint the consumer. According to the results of laboratory tests, three samples did not comply with the technical regulations of the Customs Union and were recognized as unsafe. Also, among the studied products, goods were found that, in terms of features, rather resemble a carbonated drink: that is, a product obtained not as a result of fermentation, but through artificial carbonation. Therefore, if you want to drink high-quality and safe, real kvass, use the research of Roskachestvo - details below.

RUSSIAN QUALITY SYSTEM STANDARD

The standard of the Russian Quality System established for kvass worthy of the Russian Quality Mark additional requirements for such important quality indicators as the mass fraction of organic acids and the mass concentration of volatile components. It is these indicators that help to identify signs of falsification in kvass. The required level of product localization for awarding the State Quality Mark is at least 98% of the cost of goods.

Now it is believed that kvass is a traditional Russian drink. The first mention of it coincides with the year of the Baptism of Russia! However, few people know that the history of this drink goes back several thousand years!

– Kvass is a long-standing heritage of mankind,

- says the historian of Russian cuisine Pavel Syutkin. – For example, kvass was made in ancient Egypt. But it was in Russia, due to natural conditions and raw materials, that he took root. In other countries, such drinks were either forgotten or turned into beer, so kvass began to be considered a truly Russian “invention”. In the annals of 996, it is noted that by the decree of Prince Vladimir, newly converted Christians were treated to "food, honey and kvass." However, this is only the first written mention! It is safe to say that kvass appeared in Russia much earlier.

You can read about other interesting facts from the history of kvass.

The fact that the popularity of kvass has not waned to this day is supported both by its ability to quench thirst during a hot period, and by other useful properties, for which this drink is incredibly generous.

“As a product of lactic acid fermentation, kvass has the same beneficial properties as yogurt, kefir, bifidok, tan or koumiss,” a nutritionist at Genetic Diversity LLC at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, a member of the National Society of Nutritionists of Russia, explains to Roskachestvo. Anna Korobkina. - It prevents the reproduction of pathogenic flora, favorably influencing its own beneficial intestinal microflora, has bactericidal properties. Also, kvass has a stimulating effect on the secretion of the stomach, which can be useful for the elderly, who often have atrophic gastritis. Kvass is a tonic drink, contains vitamins of group B, vitamin C, which are water-soluble and do not have a “depot” in our body (unlike fat-soluble A, D, E, K), so they must be taken with food daily: they are important for our nervous system and immunity. Kvass can also be useful for hypertensive patients, as it has a mild diuretic effect. As for gaining excess weight, I want to note that kvass does not have a very high energy value: it is formed mainly due to carbohydrates. However, considering that no one drinks 100 grams of kvass (which contains 20 kcal), a half-liter glass of kvass will be about 100 kcal. However, since the drink contains calories, it is perceived by our body as food. It is probably not worth linking the use of kvass itself and the appearance of excess weight, although thanks to the carbon dioxide contained in kvass, it increases appetite.

The hour will come - and kvass will come: about the technology of kvass production

In order to understand the quality of kvass, you need to know how it is produced. Often a person does not even suspect, as a result of which complex processes this or that product appeared on his table ...

- The raw material for the production of kvass is grain (rye, fermented rye malt - it is this that gives kvass a dark brown color and the taste and aroma of a crust of rye bread), - Roskachestvo was told at the Museum of Traditional Russian Drinks. – Kvass wort is prepared from grain products, into which a combined sourdough consisting of yeast and lactic acid bacteria is added. The main process of kvass production begins - fermentation, which occurs precisely through the joint activity of yeast and lactic acid bacteria. Using this technology, even our ancestors prepared very tasty and healthy kvass. Traditional, real Russian kvass should be considered only one that is prepared using the technology of double fermentation - yeast and lactic acid, as this drink was made in Russia. It was produced in the same way in the USSR. Today, most producers prefer to make kvass using a simplified single yeast fermentation technology. This is a gross violation of traditional technology, and most importantly, the drink obtained in this way does not have the healing properties of traditional kvass.

As mentioned above, classic kvass is wort (barley malt, rye malt, rye flour or corn), water, sugar, yeast and lactic acid bacteria. According to GOST, it is allowed to add citric or lactic acid to the product. But if kvass contains sweeteners, flavors and other additional ingredients, then it may not be kvass at all, but a carbonated drink. Such a drink can be obtained not by natural fermentation, but by blending various substances.

“There used to be a GOST for kvass drinks, now it’s been gone for three years, and with it there is no term “kvass drink,” the director of the All-Russian Research Institute of the Brewing, Non-Alcoholic and Wine Industry, Candidate of Technical Sciences, explained to Roskachestvo. Konstantin Kobelev. - There is only the term "kvass", which is regulated by GOST for finished products, so it can be used by all manufacturers that preserve the traditional recipe. But at present, there is also a GOST for terms and definitions for soft drinks, which needs to be revised due to the fact that this GOST does not contain restrictions on the use of certain food additives: it allows manufacturers to produce products under the name "kvass" according to TU with food additives that are allowed by the technical regulations for safe commercial products. I think that changes will be made to GOST for terms and definitions, after which the terminology will be put in order.

By the way, we have already encountered a similar situation in the study of chocolate, and Roskachestvo will work to solve this problem.

However, such a substitution of fermentation will not remain a secret for the consumer with seven seals. There are indicators indicating indirect signs that this is not kvass, but perhaps a carbonated drink. Read more about some of them below.

Cultural and non-cultural yeast: about the content of pathogenic yeasts and molds in kvass

“The yeast that is used to make kvass is baker’s, beer or kvass yeast,” tells Roskachestvo the deputy general director of LLC MIC Beer and Drinks XXI Century, candidate of biological sciences Valeria Isaeva. – But in the production of kvass, other microorganisms are also encountered – yeast pests, as well as molds and pest bacteria. The reasons for their development are related to the contamination of air, raw materials, equipment and production facilities, that is, the presence of sources of infection, which are very numerous in production. Thus, non-compliance with the sanitary and microbiological state of production leads to the appearance of yeast pests, bacteria and molds. And if yeast does not have a strong effect on human health, then mold forms a very large amount of toxins, which, in turn, can cause a lot of diseases.

In the course of tests conducted by Roskachestvo, three samples were identified in which the yeast behaved "uncivilized". But seriously, in kvass under the trademarks “Appetitno Krugly God”, “Bouquet of Chuvashia” and “Suzdal Drinks”, excesses of the norms established by the TR CU for the content of yeast and molds in kvass were found.

The sweet life of kvass: about the presence of sweeteners in kvass

In order for kvass to “ferment” during the production process, it must “eat” sugar. However, some unscrupulous manufacturers replace sugar with other sugar-containing substances or use sweeteners in addition to it. Does such a substitution “taste” kvass?

– In the production of kvass, the use of sweeteners is not allowed! - approves Valeria Isaeva. – And manufacturers adding sweeteners, in a good way, do not have the right to call their product kvass at all, because the requirements of GOST are violated. If the goods are manufactured in accordance with GOST, then the raw material composition must be observed unconditionally! If it is not observed, it means that the manufacturer is deceiving the consumer: this is not kvass. An experienced taster can easily determine the presence of sweeteners in kvass: dry mouth, repeated thirst, and the taste itself will indicate this.

During the study of Roskachestvo, a product with sugar substitutes was discovered. This is kvass under the trademark "Eco kvass". However, the manufacturer hid the fact of the presence of sweeteners in it and did not indicate them in the composition on the label of the drink.

Also, sweeteners were found in samples under the trademarks Appetitno All Year Round, Big Favorite, Yellow Barrel, Red Price, First of All, What You Need! and fine life. These products are not manufactured in accordance with GOST, so the presence of sweeteners in them cannot be recognized as a violation of the law. However, the listed trademarks are deprived of the opportunity to apply for the Russian Quality Mark. By the way, the composition of these products, indicated on the label, honestly announces the presence of sweeteners in kvass: it includes the food sweet mixture "Marmix 25" (containing fructose and sweeteners E950, E952 and E954).

“Americans blamed sweeteners for another outbreak of obesity in the United States, and here's why: our taste buds react to sweet taste, give a signal, after which insulin production and the burning of glucose in the blood begin,” says Anna Korobkina. - Since when using sweeteners, real carbohydrates are not supplied with food, hypoglycemia occurs (when blood sugar drops. - Note ed.), which provokes a strong feeling of hunger, a desire to eat something sweet. This is logical, because the level of sugar in the blood has dropped. With the next intake of carbohydrates with food, the body begins to store them in the form of fats. This is called the cephalic reflex. Aspartame is a very well studied unsafe sweetener. It forms methanol in the body, and then - formaldehyde - a dangerous carcinogen (that is, a substance that causes cancer). Saccharin (E954) is also a carcinogen.

Also, samples of the studied goods were tested for the presence of cyclamic acid in them.

- Cyclamic acid is sodium cyclamate, and sodium cyclamate is a sweetener, which is indicated on food labels as E952 and is cyclamic acid and two variants of its salts - potassium and sodium, - the Museum of Traditional Russian Drinks explained. – This food additive is a carcinogen, it was banned in the USA back in the 1970s.

The presence of cyclamic acid was found in samples under the trademarks "Appetitno Krugly God", "Big Favorite", "Yellow Barrel", "Red Price", "First of all", "That's what you need!", "Eco kvass" and Fine life. However, this cannot be considered a violation, since these goods are manufactured according to specifications.

All the same dry matter: about the mass fraction of dry matter in the product

The indicator of the mass fraction of dry substances characterizes the naturalness of the product. This parameter may be known to consumers studying the results of Roskachestvo tests, for example, in the study of condensed milk.

– Kvass wort concentrate contains about 68% dry matter, – explains Valeria Isaeva. – It is he who will transfer the required amount of dry matter to kvass. GOST provides for the initial content of the extract in the finished kvass. If the mass fraction of dry matter in kvass is less than the lower limit of this indicator, then this is not kvass, but actually water. Most likely, manufacturers saved on raw materials, and the consumer was again deceived. When preparing the wort, they could add insufficient concentrate of kvass wort, sugar, or dilute the kvass with water. In any case, the recipe for the production of such "kvass" was violated. Although the drink is obtained by fermentation, the output is water with water. It can also be tasted. Kvass should be full, have a so-called "body", but this drink does not: it is watery. If the product also contains a high alcohol content, most likely it has fermented too long.

According to the test results, the mass fraction of dry matter below the norm established by GOST was found in kvass under the trademark "Appetitno Krugly God". However, this cannot be officially recognized as a violation, since this product was manufactured according to specifications.

Wandered - flew: about organic acids and volatile components of kvass

Two more important indicators of the quality of kvass are the mass fraction of organic acids and the mass concentration of volatile components. Both are produced during the fermentation of kvass.

“Real kvass is a fermented drink, and a carbonated drink is not a fermented drink,” explains Valeria Isaeva. - Of course, it is easy to determine by the amount of organic acids in it. When the yeast begins to ferment, metabolic products are released, including organic acids and volatile components. And if the manufacturer simply took the ingredients and mixed them, the necessary organic acids and volatile components will not be in the manufactured product.

The advanced Roskachestvo standard for kvass formulates the requirements for these indicators, since deviations in them may indirectly indicate a change in the kvass production technology or its falsification. According to the test results, the composition of volatile components that is not typical for kvass is found in samples under the trademarks Ivanov Kvass, OJSC Ostankino Drinks Plant, Khlebny Kray, and Eco Kvass. This is not a violation, since these indicators are not regulated by Russian law. However, Roskachestvo considers it necessary to notify the reader of these inconsistencies.

Non-alcoholic contains alcohol - a paradox! About the proportion of alcohol in kvass

– The opinion that kvass was a folk alcoholic drink is not true, dispels the myth Pavel Syutkin. - Kvass has never been a particularly alcoholic drink - no more than 1-2 degrees. If kvass is cooked correctly, then sour-milk fermentation stops alcoholic fermentation. Until the 16th century, the real intoxicating drink was the so-called put honey - a solution of liquid honey with berry (fruit) juice, which fermented naturally and could be infused for years. Later, in order to reduce the cost, sourdough was added to it. Since the 16th-17th centuries, distillate from grain raw materials has become our alcoholic drink. Even the dictionary of Vladimir Dahl, as an interpretation of the verb "sour", gives only the definition of "wander, turn sour, turn sour." There is nothing to do with drunkenness.

Today, kvass in Russia is a type of soft drink. However, since the technology for making kvass is based on fermentation, it certainly contains a certain amount of ethyl alcohol.

“If there is more alcohol in kvass than established by regulatory standards (according to GOST, kvass should contain no more than 1.2% ethyl alcohol), then it cannot be put on sale,” notes Valeria Isaeva. - Such an excess indicates a clear violation of the technological process: conditions were created in which the yeast fermented longer than expected. Well, if there is very little or no alcohol at all, then, most likely, fermentation did not occur at all, and the product was created by blending. Before us is again not kvass, but a carbonated drink.

During the study, one sample was found with a high alcohol content (1.5%). This is kvass under the brand name "Appetitno Krugly God". Interestingly, among the samples there were goods in which there was too little ethyl alcohol. But this, again, is not a violation of regulatory laws.

By the way, there is an opinion among people that since there is a “degree” in kvass, you should not drink it if you are going to drive. Yes, and traffic police officers recommend completely refraining from alcoholic beverages if you have to drive during the day, despite the fact that the permissible rate of alcohol while driving is 0.16 ppm in exhaled air and 0.35 ppm in blood (

7 bubbles we sampled

"OCHAKOVSKY"

30 kcal/100 g
Alcohol: 1,5%
Quote from the packaging: Genuine kvass. Produced from natural products.
Design: 2
Taste: 3
partial (made from kvass wort).
Alexey Yablokov: “An iron can is the wrong container for kvass. And the design is kind of artisanal.
Alexey Tsyganov: "Nothing like this! An iron can is closest in properties to a can - the most correct container.
Ira Pasadskaya: “In Vitebsk, everyone drinks just such kvass. Great, just like when I was a kid!”

"Kvasenok"

34 kcal/100 g
Alcohol: 0,5%
Design: 1
Taste: 1
Compliance with the original recipe: remote (made from wort concentrate, plant extracts and similar surrogates).
Alexey Tsyganov: "The taste of old cough drops, brown ones, I don't remember what they're called."
Ira Pasadskaya: “In Vitebsk, they would beat you for such kvass.”
Alexander Cherkudinov: “In-in, and the bottle is somehow ugly.”

"PROVINCE"

32 kcal/100 g
Alcohol: 0%
Design: 3
Taste: 2
Compliance with the original recipe: complete.
Alexey Tsyganov:"To taste - a crust of sour black bread, smeared with honey."
Natasha Timonkina:“The bottle is very similar to a beer bottle. This is bad. I’ll come to the store for kvass, and everyone will think: “Wonder the girl got how much beer!”
Andrei Prokofiev:“Yes, this is not kvass at all, some kind of diluted molasses.”

"NIKOLA"

37 kcal/100 g
Alcohol: 1,5%
Quote from the packaging:"A slight sediment of bakery supplies is allowed."
Design: 1
Taste: 1
Compliance with the original recipe: partial (made from malt and flour).
Andrei Prokofiev: “Again, the smell of dark beer. And the taste, contrary to advertising, is very similar to cola.
Alexey Yablokov: “It's sour cola. Although the cola does not sour, here is such a paradox.
Natasha Timonkina: « You are all victims of advertising. Because of her, you all think that Nikola tastes like cola. But in fact, it’s just an absurd taste, not like kvass. ”

Recipe for real bread kvass:

WHAT YOU NEED: 1 kg of bread, 6 l of water, 30 g of sugar, 20 g of yeast, 50 g of raisins

WHAT TO DO:
Cut black bread into slices and dry in the oven. Pour crackers with water and leave for 3-4 hours. Strain the infusion, add yeast and sugar and leave to ferment in a warm, dark place for 5-6 hours. Strain the foamed infusion again, pour into bottles, add a few raisins to each, cork and put in a cold place for 2-3 days.

MALT DRINK "3 HORSE"

51 kcal/100 g
Alcohol: 0%
Design: 3
Taste: 1
Compliance with the original recipe: partial (made from malt).
Alexey Yablokov: "Dog food diluted in blooming river water."
Ira Pasadskaya: "Some nasty tomato juice."
Ivan Glushkov (Coughs angrily and yells.)

GLOBAL VILLAGE

32 kcal/100 g
Alcohol: 0%
Design: 3
Taste: 2
Compliance with the original recipe: complete.
Alexey Tsyganov: "I've been poisoned by 3 horses esophagus, I'm temporarily out of the tasting process."
Alexander Cherkudinov: “But what a beautiful bottle. Small and comfortable, kvass should only be in these.”
Ivan Glushkov: "By the way,« Province» and this one is the only properly prepared kvass made from bread. But it didn't help them."

"TASTY"

29 kcal/100 g
Alcohol: 0%
Quote from the packaging:“DO NOT store a sealed bottle in a warm place. It could lead to a break."
Design: 3
Taste: 5
Compliance with the original recipe: partial (made from wort).
Andrei Prokofiev: “This is the real smell and taste of kvass. It's a bit sour, though."
Alexander Cherkudinov:“Oh, this is southern kvass. Sour and light, as expected. It will make a great okroshka."
Ivan Glushkov: “Great summer drink. Sourness is just what you need.

The place of kvass in the beverage market

Kvass can be attributed to different categories of drinks, but all of them should be combined into one group - drinks to quench thirst. It is this motive that still remains the main one when buying kvass, since, perhaps, no other product has a more pronounced seasonality of consumption. Kvass competes with all drinks that are consumed in the heat - from beer to mineral water, however, unlike them, it is consumed very limitedly in the cold season.
In 2008 and 2009, the research center "Romir" conducted a survey of the population and found out how Russians quench their thirst. The closest competitors of kvass in terms of popularity were coffee and juice, while tea and mineral water were noticeably ahead of them. Slightly more than a quarter of respondents (27%) turned out to be fans of kvass according to the results of the survey. Of course, tea and coffee should not be mixed with kvass, since the buyer does not have to choose between them - consumption situations differ. But if we talk about products sold only in retail, then depending on consumer preferences, three groups of drinks can be distinguished.
1) sweet soft drinks saturated with carbonic acid, where products based on flavors compete with kvass;
2) healthy drinks, which, in addition to kvass, include mineral water, juices and other categories with a declared usefulness;
3) fermented drinks with malty dense taste, where the main competition for kvass is beer and some other traditional drinks.
Although kvass meets all these criteria, people's tastes do not reflect the structure of drink consumption at all. Kvass is not yet bought in order to satisfy the physiological need for drinking, it is they who quench their thirst, and thoughts about buying kvass arise mainly in the hot season. Therefore, the structure of sales of drinks to quench thirst has developed in such a way that kvass is still very noticeably behind beer, juices, soft drinks and water. So, if we assume that the production of all these drinks corresponds to sales*, then kvass will account for only 3% of the total volume of drinks sold (see diagram). Although 3% in the total volume of drinks and 14% in the category of soft drinks is already a lot, given that 5 years ago the share of kvass were 1% and 4%, respectively.

*Official output volumes are approximately equal to domestic consumption, since exports and imports of beverages are very small, the analyzed period is sufficient to smooth out seasonal shifts, and small businesses (whose output volumes are not taken into account by Rosstat) occupy a very small market share.

The main reason for the growing popularity of kvass against the background of other "thirst quenchers" is the combination of price and usefulness. Here it is worth taking a look at the results of the all-Russian study of the Romir Center, conducted in August 2010, which showed that naturalness, the absence of GMOs, artificial additives and dyes are the most important criteria by which Russians evaluate the quality of food. In this, both residents of megacities and respondents living in rural areas are unanimous.
So, if kvass cost much more than water and soft drinks, its popularity would obviously not be so high, since our consumer is not yet ready to significantly overpay for usefulness. Medium the retail price of a liter of kvass in the first half of 2010 was 25.75 rubles, that is, only 13% higher than its "useless competitor" - a soft drink, and twice as low as its "useful competitor" - juice or "alcoholic competitor" - beer. But more economical juice-containing soft drinks and nectars are also increasingly used to quench thirst, and unlike juice or beer, they often overlap with kvass in terms of price and consumer audience. Therefore, they could be considered the main competitors of the kvass category. It is not without reason that varieties of kvass with the addition of juice have recently begun to appear.
At the same time, if the useful qualities of kvass were not of great importance for the Russian consumer, then kvass would not be able to displace cheap kvass drinks, which are comparable in taste to natural fermented kvass. However, kvass drinks are still popular today if they focus on the usefulness of their components (“kvass wort”, “grain raw materials”, “natural extracts”) or continue to call their products “kvass”, using the name of the enterprise. For example, some kvass producers are expanding their product line with kvass drinks using the common brand "N-sky kvass".

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According to producers' estimates, today the market for fermented bottled kvass is about 70% of the kvass market as a whole, the remaining 30% falls on draft kvass and kvass drinks in a ratio of about 1/2. The share of fermented bottled kvass is growing every year (by 45% in 2008 and by 58% in 2009). The share of draft kvass is approximately stable, while the share of kvass drinks is inevitably declining (from 47% in 2008 to 23% in 2010).
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In addition to usefulness, an important reason for the growing popularity of kvass is that it is part of the national culture, centuries-old traditions in the production and consumption of drinks. Kvass is an attribute of Russian identity, in a broad sense - Slavic culture, in a narrow sense - our family traditions. For many people, their identity is becoming increasingly important. Moreover, according to the aforementioned Romir survey, for 39% of respondents, the Russian origin of the product is tantamount to a quality mark, which perfectly complements the formed image of the drink. Naturally, traditional images are always used in advertising and design of kvass - spikelets, rural attributes, national painting, ornaments. From the packaging, historical and fairy-tale heroes, open Russian faces, usually look at us. Rare exceptions are the use of the company's umbrella brand, as well as some deviations towards nature or the geography of the native land.
There is another driver of growth, which is still weakly felt, but is likely to have a significant impact on the kvass market in the coming years. The demographic wave passes in such a way that the formed generation of beer lovers (up to 30 years old) massively passes into the age of the most active kvass lovers (according to polls - more than 35 years old). At the very least, surveys clearly show an inverse relationship between the amount of alcohol consumed and a person's age. However, it is unlikely that kvass will be able to displace beer, since Russians do not consider it as a drink to cheer up, or which they drink while chatting with friends. The redistribution of preferences will rather occur for purely physiological reasons.

Production and market of kvass

The hot summer, the recovery of consumer demand and the unsaturation of the regional markets for kvass were the main drivers of the rapid growth in consumption in 2010. The weather, of course, played a major role in this, as manufacturers and experts did not expect such a surge in sales, predicting consumption growth of up to 10% in early 2010.
By the end of 2010, it is expected that sales of bottled fermented kvass will grow by 49% to 63 mln decaliters (despite the fact that in 2009 they increased by only 5% to 42.3 mln decaliters). Nielsen's retail audit data showed that sales of kvass in Russian cities in July 2010 almost doubled - by...% in physical terms, while mineral and drinking bottled water - by...%, and sweet carbonated drinks - on ...%. In addition to the summer heat, one of the key drivers for growth was consumer interest in new launches, the company's experts say.
In monetary terms, the market for kvass, according to forecast estimates for 2010, will grow by...% to... billion rubles. By the way, in the crisis year of 2009, the growth of the kvass market in monetary terms outpaced natural indicators by more than two times, although in the beverage market as a whole there was a redistribution of preferences towards economical products, and in some categories even a decrease in retail prices.
Will the market continue to develop at such a high rate in 2011? There are no prerequisites for this. Back in 2008, when kvass sales were not affected by crisis processes, market growth slowed down and amounted to...%. Considering that the main driver of the market in 2010 was the weather, we can expect stabilization or even reduction in consumption in 2011 with summer temperatures within the climatic norm.

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Estimation of kvass production volumes on the basis of regional statistics is complicated by the changes in the accounting methodology that have taken place. For example, the annual dynamics up to 2009 inclusive can be estimated according to the OKP classifier for the category "Non-alcoholic fermented drinks and kvass". But, according to the recently introduced rules for accounting for products according to OKPD, kvass belongs to the group "kvass drinks". This category definitely excludes sweetened soft drinks on shock absorbers (they are in a separate group), but the data does not quite fit with the previous classification. In addition, certain kvass producers, for some reason, fall out of the field of view of Rosstat. Probably, their volumes of kvass production are taken into account in other categories of drinks. Therefore, the given regional statistics do not fully reflect the real picture. However, for some companies, we can track the regional dynamics of kvass production and evaluate their production indicators based on it.
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The problem of optimal use of capacity in 2010 became especially acute - in the summer, manufacturers worked at the limit of their capabilities, and by October they reduced the load by 10 times. For this reason, there is not a single large or medium-sized company in Russia that would only produce kvass. For the vast majority of companies, kvass is the second or third most important product (exceptions are Deka and Kursky kvass). To some extent, producers compensate for the seasonal decline by building stocks, since modern production technologies and the presence of a small amount of alcohol allow increasing the shelf life of bottled fermented kvass to a year. In addition, during the low season, producers try to produce kvass for contract bottling partners.
The seasonality of demand leaves room on the market for even very small producers who have the technological capabilities to produce kvass and consider it as a by-product. In many Russian regions (especially those remote from large cities), local regional consumer unions, bakeries and dairies provide the consumer with kvass (see "").
Today, large producers are trying to offset the seasonal decline and rid kvass of the image of an exclusively summer drink. Situations of kvass consumption are expanding, for example, the heroes of some commercials drink kvass in the office or during the cold season. Out-of-season sales of kvass brands should also be facilitated by the expansion of their tastes and their gradual replacement of drinks, the seasonality of which is less pronounced.
State regulation of the beer market can play its role in the development of the kvass market. In particular, if beer is classified as an alcoholic product, then some retail outlets may not be able to sell it or narrow the allocated shelf space. This may lead to further growth in the distribution of kvass produced by brewing companies, including outside the sales season.

Regional picture of kvass consumption

According to the Romir survey conducted in 2009, kvass is most popular among respondents living in the Central region (38%), much less kvass lovers were in the Urals (17%) and the Far East (13%). However, as will be shown below, in the last two regions, the average per capita consumption of not only kvass, but also drinks in general is rather low. Another survey, conducted in July 2010, reflects a significant preponderance of Moscow in terms of the share of families who bought kvass compared to other Russian cities - by 1.5-1.8 times. At the same time, the seasonality of kvass purchases in Moscow was high, but less pronounced than in other regional centers.

Also, according to this study, Russians actively drink kvass during picnics and nature trips. And the proportion of kvass lovers is higher among the residents of large cities than the national average.

According to the most recent estimates, the share of kvass consumers in Russia is 66% of the number of soft drink consumers. In 2008 this indicator was at the level of 56%. The main increase in kvass lovers occurred at the expense of large cities of Russia, where the share of kvass consumers in 2010 approached the indicators of Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Despite the availability and popularity of kvass, the level of its consumption depends quite strongly on the income level of Russians. A clear confirmation of this is the average per capita consumption level in Moscow and St. Petersburg * , which is at least twice as high as in other Russian cities, where kvass is also very popular. The high importance of earnings is confirmed by the sharp slowdown in market growth in 2009 and the rapid recovery that began in the first half of 2010, when hot weather had not yet set in.

* Here and below we are talking about the average per capita consumption of bottled kvass, excluding sales of kvass in barrels and kegs. The consumption estimate was based on market dynamics in the first half of 2010 and does not take into account the impact of abnormal heat.

Nevertheless, if we take Moscow and St. Petersburg out of the brackets, then we will not see a clear dependence of the average per capita consumption of kvass on income. For example, the incomes of residents ... are among the highest in Russia, and are approaching the level of ..., but the average citizen ... drinks half as much kvass. At the same time, the influence of climate on the consumption of kvass in these two cities should be the same, since the average temperature of the warm season (May-September) is the same.
If instead of income we use the affordability index (the price of kvass divided by income), then the picture will not change in any way. Among the considered regional centers of Russia, only one city should be noted, where the price of kvass is relatively high, and incomes are not very high - this is .... Perhaps this is precisely the reason for the rather low level of average per capita consumption of kvass in the region.
Speaking about prices, incomes and consumption, it is worth noting right away that in Moscow and St. Petersburg, in principle, there is a noticeable imbalance in the consumption of non-essential products, which include kvass, compared to other regional centers. But at the same time, there has long been a tendency to equalize per capita consumption.
This process can best be described using the example of beer consumption. At the beginning of the market development, there was a jump due to the rapid growth of per capita consumption in Moscow and St. Petersburg. The period of rapid saturation of the capital markets lasted 4 years - from 1998 to 2001. then the dynamics were very uncertain. At that time, beer consumption in the regions lagged noticeably behind, but the growth was more stable and continued until the crisis year of 2008.
If we talk about kvass, then in 2009 the largest Moscow market accounted for about ... Russian sales. During the crisis, it became a kind of buffer, since per capita consumption of kvass in Moscow decreased slightly. Thanks to the hot weather and the recovery of consumer demand, a significant increase in sales is expected in the capital in 2010. But the share of Moscow in the total volume of kvass sales should decrease, since the regions will make the main contribution to the development of the market.
Among regional centers, faster growth will occur in those markets where residents drink relatively little kvass. In terms of frequency, among the largest cities, the leaders in the growth of per capita consumption will be: ..., ... and ... (a significant increase is expected in ..., where consumption is at an average level). Also, by the end of the year, sales should grow significantly in small towns.
We compared the level of per capita consumption of kvass with beer and soft drinks. We did not find a clear correlation between the consumption of beer and kvass. For example, a resident ... drinks a little more beer than the average in Russia, and in ... much more, but local residents drink little kvass. Thus, the assumption is confirmed that beer and kvass as consumer categories still slightly overlap, although they are most often sold in the same retail outlets. Otherwise, the developed consumption of beer would "pull up" the consumption of kvass.
But for many large cities, there is a clear correlation between the consumption of kvass and sweet soft drinks. Some regions, for example, ..., ...and... slightly fall out of the general trend - soft drinks are not very popular here (consumption is about 20 liters per person), but kvass is drunk at the level of the norm for regional centers. Preferences in ... are also unusually distributed - a local resident drinks about 65 liters of soft drinks a year, which is much higher than the average norm, but kvass consumption is at an average level. Here, as well as in... and..., there is a great potential for kvass sales growth due to its replacement of soft drinks.
It is also interesting to compare the ratio of prices for kvass and soft drinks in different cities. In regional centers with a high purchasing power of the population in retail, as a rule, branded non-alcoholic drinks are presented, which on average cost the same as kvass or even more (as in Moscow, ... and ...). In these cities, kvass is not only a useful, but also a more affordable alternative. At the same time, kvass is significantly more expensive than soft drinks in..., ... and.... Most likely, the growth in consumption of kvass in... is held back by a large price difference.
Despite the very important role played by the weather in the sales of kvass, we can see that the climate in different regions does not have a decisive influence on its consumption. For example, in cold ..., where the average air temperature from May to September is ...%, per capita consumption of kvass ... than in ... with a temperature of ...%. In particular, Dmitry Pinchukov (general director of Deka) notes that surprisingly little kvass is drunk in the south of Russia. He explains this by the fact that life in the southern cities is not as dynamic as in the two capitals or industrial centers, in addition, the region has preserved the traditions of making homemade kvass. Maxim Kurokhtin (Marketing Director of Tomsk Pivo) also believes that the popularity of kvass depends not so much on the climatic zone, but on the prevailing culture of consumption. According to his observations, in those cities where local breweries in the 80s, 90s and 00s produced kvass (albeit not packed, but cask), its consumption is higher, and seasonality is not so pronounced.
However, kvass sales are strongly affected by persistent temperature deviations from the norm. First of all, the regional dynamics of the kvass market in 2010 was affected by the fact that... and... turned out to be much more susceptible to temperature anomalies than... and... For example, in Man the temperature anomaly was insignificant. In the summer of 2010, even cool days were observed here, with an air temperature of...-... °C. The number of hot days was not very large. Therefore, despite the fact that the expected per capita consumption of kvass in... relative to 2009 will grow by...%, it will decrease by about...% compared to 2008 (when the crisis has not yet affected the market). The dynamics of growth relative to 2008 is likely to be moderate in..., ... and....
In the Central region of Russia and the Volga region, due to the abnormal summer, there was a noticeable increase in the per capita consumption of kvass not only in relation to 2009, but also relative to the pre-crisis level.
In our opinion, the further development of the kvass market in the regions of Russia will be greatly influenced by the development of small and medium-sized producers. They can give a new impetus to the development of kvass consumption. An increasingly important role will be played by regional beer producers, who, having restored production (or faced with strict regulation on the beer market), will diversify their business at the expense of kvass.

Competitive situation

Unlike other categories, such as juices, beer or soft drinks, the market for kvass until recently had rather weak distribution. Therefore, young kvass brands, which appeared in the refrigerators of large companies throughout Russia, quickly won their share and gave a new impetus to the development of the market.
The low level of regional penetration of regional kvass brands is well reflected in railway statistics. Thus, while the volume of the kvass market in 2009 was... million decalitres, only about... million decalitres (or about...%) of products were delivered from producers to the regions of Russia by rail. At the same time, for beer, the share of rail transportation in 2009 was approximately...% of the total sales volume. Of course, a significant part of kvass is sold on local markets or is not included in the statistics, since it is supplied by road, for example, between Moscow and St. Petersburg. However, we clearly see that kvass, as a rule, is not transported over long distances due to the sharply increasing share of logistics costs in its cost.

*according to railway statistics of IA "Kominfo"

Thus, a mass brand in the kvass category must be produced close to the point of sale. Accordingly, the optimal location of production facilities is of great importance for the kvass market. It is easy to see that the market positions of the leading companies are mainly determined by the geography of their production. The main enterprise of the pioneer and leader of the kvass market - MPBK "Ochakovo" is located directly in the largest sales region, which accounts for at least a quarter of kvass sales in Russia. But enterprises in Penza, Krasnodar Territory and Tyumen allowed the company to grow dynamically during the development of regional markets. Novgorod "Deka" is very well located in terms of transporting products to Moscow and St. Petersburg, but the long arm of deliveries to the eastern regions limits the possibility of the company's expansion beyond the Urals. For the same reason, the positions of local players are strong in regions remote from the center. For example, Bouquet of Chuvashia is, according to the company, a virtual monopolist in the market of the Chuvash Republic, Tomskoe Pivo is the leader of the kvass market in Siberia.

SABMiller, over time, could bring its Far Eastern brand "Matushkin kvass" to the federal level. In 2009-2010 the company showed relatively low market activity, but in the future it can use its regional experience. "Matushkin kvass" was launched in May 2009 in order to load the existing kvass capacities in Vladivostok and sell products on the territory of the Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories. According to our rough estimate, kvass production volumes at this plant are small (up to 0.5 mln dal) and there was no significant growth in the 2010 season, because the summer in the Far East region was not hot.
It is possible that Efes, the fourth largest player on the beer market, will also enter the kvass market. There are at least two reasons for this. Firstly, the company seriously considered this possibility - back in May 2010, it received permission to produce experimental batches of "Poly Medved" kvass, bottled in kegs and PET bottles. Secondly, Efes group managers have extensive experience in the non-alcoholic beverage markets of Turkey and in the countries of the Asian region, since the company is a bottler of Coca-Cola. Perhaps it was the successful activity of the Russian division of Efes in the beer market and the high utilization of production capacities that removed this issue from the 2010 agenda.
True to the second and third numbers on the beer market - AB InBev and Heineken, despite a serious decline in production and clearly low capacity utilization, the kvass market seems uninteresting. Executive Director of Anheuser-Busch InBev Carlos Brito in August 2010 commented on the possibility of launching kvass to RBC daily correspondent " In the near future we will continue to focus on beer. This is the business we know best and there are many things we are going to do, we have a lot to do here".
The fact that Heineken sees no prospects in the development of the kvass direction is clearly evidenced by the sale of the Stepan Timofeevich brand. Although, according to the management of Deka, they continue to use the Heineken distribution network to supply kvass to St. Petersburg retailers.

The main producers of kvass

Ochakovo

JSC MPBK Ochakovo is the leader of the Russian kvass market, and the Ochakovsky brand is the most popular kvass among Russians. According to Business Analytics, it (including the children's sub-brand Kvasenok) accounts for 35% of sales of bottled kvass in physical terms and a noticeably larger share in monetary terms - 40%.However, this difference is due not to the fact that the company's kvass belongs to the premium segment, but to the fact that Ochakovo's main sales direction is Moscow.
The company has won a strong position in the Russian market for three reasons. Firstly, Ochakovo was a pioneer in the market. Back in the mid-90s, the company bottled fermented kvass in PET containers and put it on retail shelves. Secondly, an independent producer, not having large marketing budgets, nevertheless actively promoted its brand, placed advertisements, often sponsored various events and, thus, "rocked" the entire kvass category. Thus, many kvass lovers, especially middle-aged ones, have formed a clear association between packed kvass and the Ochakovsky brand. Finally, thirdly, the company uses a federal-scale distribution network to sell its kvass and relies on four production sites located in different regions of the country.
These historical and competitive advantages allowed Ochakovo to take full advantage of the growth of the kvass market. According to the company, sales of kvass grew from 15 million decaliters in 2009 to 24 million decaliters in 2010. That is, the growth was 60%, while in 2009 sales grew by only 2%. Accordingly, the weight of kvass in the sales structure has noticeably increased, but the beer market remains a priority for the company. So, today kvass accounts for 31% of the total sales volume of Ochakovo, and beer - 57%.
According to our estimate, based on regional statistics, all four Ochakovo enterprises have increased their production of kvass. The greatest growth occurred at the main enterprise in Moscow, which provides ... for the production of the company's kvass. According to our rough estimates, production increased by...% and exceeded... million decalitres. The Krasnodar branch increased its output by about...%, exceeding... mln.
Today, Ochakovo is increasing its production potential by upgrading its facilities. " Last summer was a real test for all beverage producers., - says Vladimir Antonov, General Director of MPBK Ochakovo. - We were preparing for the growth of the kvass market, but, to be honest, we underestimated the real volumes of demand. Even the capacity of our - the largest plant in Russia - was not enough to satisfy all the need for a drink. In addition, in recent years we have seen a distinct stable demand for kvass in the colder season as well. Therefore, we are confident that the expansion of capacities will give us an additional advantage over competitors and strengthen our leadership position in the market.".
Funding for this project has already been found. Sberbank of Russia opened a credit line for Ochakovo with a limit of 1 billion rubles. for a period of 3 years. In particular, the modernization of the Moscow enterprise will affect the process of yeast separation, which will increase the volume of kvass output and increase the profitability of production. At the same time, the equipment will be reconstructed. Upon completion of all work, the capacity of the Moscow production site will increase from 6 to 9.1 million decalitres of kvass per month. As part of previous investment programs, the company built a new malting plant on the basis of a malting plant in the Lipetsk region and modernized the production of kvass wort.
The year 2010 was marked by high marketing activity of Ochakovo. During the sales season, the company decided to air a commercial that goes against the traditions of kvass marketing. The main idea of ​​communication is kvass "Ochakovsky" - a modern drink for any occasion, in any part of the world for free-thinking and progressive residents of the metropolis.
"The problem of kvass as a category lies in their constant opposition to soft drinks of a modern format., - Boris Malyshev, marketing director of MPBK Ochakovo, comments on the release of the video. - Once again focusing the attention of consumers on this is too obvious a move, and all our competitors, as one, rest on "Russianness", traditionalism, patriarchy - such a stereotypical attitude harms both kvass and the consumer. Therefore, our task this season is to change the attitude towards kvass, to expand the consumer's understanding of where and how you can drink it. In general, kvass with its usefulness and naturalness is an all-season product, it can be compared with juices".
The novelty of the 2010 season is also compared with juices - the first premium brand of kvass in Russia - "Veranda". According to the company's management, it was the modernization of the production of malt and kvass that made it possible to release this brand. The output plan for 2010 is 300 thousand decalitres, and next year it is planned to increase the share of "Veranda" to 10% of the total sales volume.
Kvass is presented in two flavors "ginger-apple" and "lime-mint", in a package of 0.75 l. The recommended price in terms of a liter of kvass is three times higher than the average drink price in Russia. At the moment, kvass is presented in a number of retail chains, and in 2011 it is planned to enter the HoReCa segment by releasing "Veranda" in 250 ml glass containers. ("The Secret of the Firm", July 2010)
In the language of marketing, reason-to-believe* for "Veranda" is production technology, taste and usefulness. So, for this kvass, not dried, but freshly germinated malt is used, which is considered much more useful due to the high content of amino acids. In the production of wort, in addition to rye, several more types of cereals are used. The color of "Veranda" differs from other kvass, and the density of the drink resembles juice. Ochakovo hopes that the novelty will become an off-season drink.

* "base of trust" - a functional benefit that serves as evidence that the benefits claimed by the brand are genuine and trustworthy.

"Veranda" is positioned as kvass for people who are focused on luxury, a high standard of living and self-care. According to Inna Kochetova, vice president of marketing at Ochakovo, Veranda's consumers are traditional maximalists: connoisseurs, socially responsible, family people who appreciate quiet, calm moments, as well as lovers of unusual new products.
The drink is promoted through outdoor advertising, glossy publications, organizing events and with the help of BTL promotions at points of sale. The main element of the visual design of the brand is a peacock. According to Ochakovo, the peacock symbolizes luxury and aristocracy.
The launch of "Veranda" would be a very expensive project, which would create a large free niche in the portfolio of brands "Ochakovo". As reported in the press, today the company's technologists are working to make another brand of kvass with a similar recipe, but not as expensive as "Veranda".
In addition to new launches, the modernization of the sales system should ensure the growth in sales of Ochakovo products. So far, our own teams of sales representatives have worked in Moscow, Tyumen, Penza and the Southern Federal District, where Ochakovo's production sites are located. In other regions, the company's products were sold through the efforts of partners who, in addition to contracts with Ochakovo, represented the interests of other companies. But in the near future, exclusive sales teams, formed on the basis of existing distribution centers, should appear in 15 central regions of Russia.

Deca

OAO Deka is the second largest kvass producer in Russia. The dynamic development of this company began in 2005, on the wave of growing popularity of the key brand - Nikola kvass. If private labels are taken into account, by the first half of 2010 Deka's market share increased by 2% compared to 2009 and reached 32% in real terms. The increase in market weight this year is primarily due to an active marketing policy and the acquisition of a new brand.
In addition, the successful work of the company is largely due to the focus on the economy and mid-price segments of the market. Kvass brands "Deki" are the most accessible among the products of companies with a federal scale of activity. Taking into account the company's advertising communications, it can be said that Deka is not yet taking away market share from other kvass producers, but is growing due to switching consumers of non-natural soft drinks to kvass. But due to affordable retail prices and the presence of economical private labels in the portfolio, the company's market share in monetary terms is below natural indicators and amounts to 26%.
Owing to organic growth, the inclusion of the St. Petersburg TM "Stepan Timofeevich" in the portfolio of brands and the contract with PepsiCo, the production of kvass at the Novgorod enterprise in 2010 will double and amount, according to our estimates, to 20 million decalitres. Thus, despite the lower sales volume, in terms of kvass production, Deka is very close to the leader - MPBK Ochakovo. Let us add that Deki's production site in Veliky Novgorod is the largest in Russia in terms of capacity and volume of kvass production in 2010. The potential production volume of the enterprise is up to 60 million decalitres of kvass per year.
The dynamics of financial indicators will be slightly lower than the production growth rate, which is probably due to the company's relatively lower revenue from contract bottling of kvass. According to the published preliminary reports of "Deka", for 9 months of 2010 its revenue increased by 91% compared to the same period last year and amounted to 2.65 billion rubles. At the same time, in the third quarter of 2010, the company's revenue increased by 209% compared to the same period last year and amounted to 1.06 billion rubles. Since the 4th quarter already falls into the low sales season, we can assume that the company's total revenue will be about 3 billion rubles. Recall that in 2009 the company's revenue fell by 19% and amounted to 1.595 billion rubles, while a net loss of 96.7 million rubles. was replaced by a net profit of 190 million rubles.
In 2009, the company became involved in a number of corporate and financial disputes. Disagreements that arose between the shareholders were widely covered in the press and commented on by representatives of Deka OJSC. It is to be hoped that the strong revenue generated in 2010 and efficient operations will enable the company to address these issues.
Kvass is the main, but not the only activity of the company. Deca also produces beer (in 2010 it provided approximately 20% of sales) and mineral water (less than 1% in 2010). As part of the production of kvass, an important direction is bottling under copecking contracts for third-party companies.
Thus, in February 2010, a three-year contract was signed with PepsiCo for bottling Russian Dar kvass. The signed agreement gave an additional impetus to the growth of the company's production. The management expects that the contract will increase production volumes by 25-30%, smooth out seasonal fluctuations and more evenly load personnel. In addition, 150 people were hired for temporary positions, and in total, due to the summer increase in production volumes, the number of temporary vacancies increased to 250.
By the way, Coca-Cola was also interested in contract bottling of kvass. "Deka" was open for cooperation, however, according to the company's management, "strict price parameters did not leave a chance to earn", and the contract was not concluded.
In addition to the production of kvass under the brands Nikola, Bolshoi Kvass, Stepan Timofeevich and Dobrynya Nikitich, as well as Russkiy Dar, Deka produces private labels under a copecking agreement. In particular, the company has an impressive experience in bottling kvass for large federal networks - X5, Lenta, Auchan, Okay, Polushka, Dixy, Magnit and others under the trademarks "365 days", " Okay", "Khleborodov", "Oh!" and others. In 2009, private label bottled to order accounted for about 10% of total production.
The company's key asset is a developed brand portfolio, which includes four brands: Nikola, Bolshoi Kvass, Stepan Timofeevich and Dobrynya Nikitich (in descending order of market share). Three key brands receive very active advertising support, each of them is positioned in its price and target segment. In anticipation of the 2010 season, the company updated the design of two brands: "Nikola" and "Stepan Timofeevich", and also launched an advertising campaign in support of the leading kvass brands.
So, in the spring of 2010, the key brand of the company, kvass, was restyled. Nikola". The new brand communication shifted the focus from national motives and usefulness to the appropriateness of consuming kvass in any situation (even in the office) and more clearly defined the target audience: " The hero of the brand has acquired the features of a modern and successful young man who values ​​himself as a bright personality, boldly opens up new horizons, capable of making an individual conscious choice, not imposed by fashion on the "western".
Simultaneously with the launch of the campaign, the packaging design was also updated - the visual embodiment of the hero of the brand, the logo and the product area. The new face of the brand character appeared back in 2009. " We strive to maintain a fairly established image of a quality product. Renewal of the visual image of the brand is designed to demonstrate the relevance and full compliance of the brand with changing consumer expectations."- commented on the redesign of Nikola, the marketing director of Deka, Natalya Starshinova.
According to the company, the brand's popularity according to the results of the 2010 season is 92%, spontaneous - 62%. Such fame is comparable to the leading brands in the FMCG sector. "Nikola" occupies 23% of the Russian kvass market.
"Big kvass"- the most economical brand both in the company's portfolio and in the kvass market - appeared in retail in the spring of 2009. "Big kvass" is produced in a 3-liter PET package convenient for family consumption. The recommended retail price is 50-55 rubles, in terms of 1 liter is cheaper than other brands of kvass, presented mainly in 2-liter packaging.As reported on the company's website: " this distinguishes "Big kvass" from competitors of equal quality on the shelf and leaves the consumer with a pleasant feeling of a bargain".
The "anti-crisis" proposal was made in 2009 with virtually no advertising support. But the "family" advertising campaign carried out in the summer of 2010 made it possible, according to JSC "Deka", to reach 27% of the popularity index of "Big Kvass" and its market share of 3.1%. The campaign included national broadcasts of television spots, outdoor advertising on retail fronts, and point-of-sale promotions.
"Stepan Timofeevich"- entered the Deka portfolio in the fall of 2009. Its average price is slightly higher than the cost of other brands of the company, but it is also quite democratic and approximately corresponds to the retail price of Khlebny Krai from Baltika.
Historically, "Stepan Timofeevich" is the first kvass brand that appeared in St. Petersburg. But the well-known brand in the region received practically no marketing support after it entered the portfolio of the Russian division of Heineken. Curtailment of production at the St. Petersburg plant them. Stepan Razin was only the beginning of a protracted decline for the brewing company, as a result of which Heineken began to work in a mode of cost reduction and optimization of the brand portfolio. The company did not invest in the transfer of production of a non-core brand. Its sale was a mutually beneficial and logical step.
After the purchase of "Stepan Timofeevich", on the eve of the sales season, "Deka" restyled the brand, but retained the "classic" continuity in its image. Classical landscapes of St. Petersburg appeared on the label, the logo became more readable and graphically integral, the naturalness of kvass and its history are emphasized by the signs "Live fermentation", "First in St. Petersburg". In the summer of 2010, Deka for the first time supported the brand with an advertising campaign with the slogan "Stepan Timofeevich - hometown kvass!" According to "Deka", as a result of the campaign, the spontaneous popularity of the brand was 45%, induced - 84%.
According to Dmitry Pinchukov, General Director of Deka, the company maintains partnership relations with Heineken in the field of kvass distribution. " Heineken has a solid team of sales representatives who, along with orders for beer, consolidate our orders for kvass. For Deka, such an agreement is beneficial: it is expensive to maintain its own large team of distributors, which deals only with kvass"("Expert", August 2010).
"Nikitich" is one of the first trademarks of the company, which today occupies an insignificant share in its portfolio (less than 1%). In our opinion, it was launched as a duplicate brand for Nikola, and, if necessary, could support the sustainable development of the company. However, the success of "Nikola" and the expansion of the portfolio of brands made it inappropriate to invest in a "reserve player".
"Thanks to a large-scale advertising campaign, distribution growth and an active commercial policy, sales of Deki kvass grew by 35% in the first half of the year alone, when the weather did not yet show significant deviations from summer norms.", - Andrey Mansky, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Deka OJSC, commented on the work of the company. - " In particular, a significant increase in financial performance was provided by the federal advertising campaign, the success of the Big Kvass brand, which managed to win 3% of the national kvass market, as well as the creation of exclusive sales teams in a number of cities in central Russia. The advertising campaign for the first time supported three kvass brands: Nikola, Bolshoi Kvass and Stepan Timofeevich. As a result, the sales growth of the brand "Nikola" for 9 months of 2010 amounted to 70% compared to the same period last year. Growth in sales of "Bolshoy Kvass" - a young brand of the company, amounted to 68%. In general, for the year, the company's sales growth will exceed 140%".

Baltic

JSC PK Baltika is the third largest kvass producer in Russia and the fourth (and possibly even the third) player in the kvass market in terms of sales. The Khlebny Krai brand became the first federal non-alcoholic drink in the company's portfolio. began to be sold throughout Russia and began to dynamically gain market share.If in April 2009 it was 0%, then by the end of 2009 it was 3-4%, and in the first half of 2011 the brand already occupied 7% of the market. , Baltika will finish 2010 with a 10% share in the total volume of production and sales of Russian kvass.The company's market weight, both in kind and in value terms, is the same.
In the 2009 sales season, the first advertising campaign for Khlebny Krai was launched. "Baltika" did not experiment, using images of native nature in a television commercial and recreating the atmosphere of a happy childhood in the village, which emphasized the naturalness of Khlebny Kray kvass. At the end of February 2010, Baltika offered consumers an individual and non-seasonal packaging format, releasing kvass in an aluminum can. Prior to this, Khlebny Krai was bottled only in PET bottles with a capacity of 1.5 and 2.5 liters, which is most popular in summer.
A year after the launch of the Khlebny Krai brand, the company expanded its kvass line - the sub-brand Khlebny Krai - 7 cereals appeared on the market. The 7 grains in particular are rye, wheat, barley, oats, millet, rice and corn combined with barley malt. The new product is positioned as kvass with additional health benefits. As stated in the press release " Traditional Russian kvass is a family drink. And now every member of the family has a choice: classic taste (like the main variety "Khlebny Krai Traditional") or softer (like the novelty "Khlebny Krai 7 cereals"). In addition, the new product is ideal for preparing a traditional dish - okroshka.".
In 2010, Baltika used the experience of the largest player in the kvass market, the Ochakovo company, and began to actively sponsor charity contests. Events under the general name "Kvass gatherings" were held in July-August in many cities of Russia. The purpose of the actions carried out was the preservation, support and development of Russian folk traditions among children and adolescents. As part of the project, workshops were held on making traditional Russian toys and exhibitions of children's handicrafts. Of course, these projects were not aimed at directly stimulating sales, but in our opinion, they allowed the company to emotionally involve the parents of the contestants, as well as "educate" future consumers of Khlebny Krai.
The hot summer, the young age of the brand, active consumer and trade marketing have become prerequisites for the rapid growth of Baltika's new products. According to our estimates, the company's kvass output in 2010 will increase by about...% to... mln. decalitres. Half of the total output of kvass was provided by the Tula branch, which increased production ... to approximately ... million decalitres. The head office of the company in St. Petersburg increased production by almost...%, exceeding... million decalitres. The Krasnoyarsk branch of "Baltika-Pikra" also made a significant contribution to the increase in kvass sales, which sharply increased output in July 2010. In our opinion, in 2011 other eastern branches of the company will be included in the process of kvass production.

As we have already said, the increase in kvass production occurred as a reaction to the decline in the beer category and the potential continuation of the market decline with the tightening of industry regulation. According to our estimates, by the end of 2010 beer production will be reduced to some extent at all Baltika enterprises, with the exception of the Voronezh branch. Given the recession, the company has excess capacity, which at most enterprises this year was loaded by about 70%, and at the plant in St. Petersburg, where a rapid decline in beer production has been going on for many years - by about 50%.
Due to the presence of a large amount of unloaded capacities throughout the country, Baltika is better than other kvass producers in adapting to the seasonality of sales, responding to a possible increase in demand, and expanding into the eastern regions. According to Denis Sherstennikov, vice president of marketing for the company: "... Kvass "Khlebny Krai" is a natural product of malt fermentation, and therefore, to increase its production, we can use the fermentation equipment that was used to produce beer without attracting additional investments". It can be expected that the share of Baltika in the market of packed kvass will continue to increase in 2011 as well.

Coca Cola

Since the appearance of kvass "Mug and Barrel" in 2007, Coca-Cola has been dynamically gaining market weight in the kvass category. According to "Business Analytics", in the first half of 2010, Coca-Cola increased its market share to 8% in physical terms and up to 9% - in value terms. It can be calculated very roughly that the volume of sales of Kruzhka i Bochka kvass at the end of the 2010 season should have doubled and exceeded 5 million decalitres.
Since fermentation kvass production technologies are too complicated, Coca-Cola is forced to place orders with breweries. Back in the fall of 2009, RBC daily reported that the company no longer had enough capacity at the Brau Service plants in Tver and Samko in Penza. Therefore, Coca-Cola needed to attract additional capacities for bottling "Mugs and Barrels", as kvass sales are growing: "in this regard, we are looking at all kvass producers in Russia," a company spokesman said. In particular, Coca-Cola negotiated with the Deka company about the possibility of contract bottling, but no agreement was reached.
The press did not receive information about Coca-Cola's kvass bottling agreements with new producers. However, a temporary contract, due to which the company provided a two-fold increase in sales in 2010, could be concluded. This contract could also explain the unexpected spike in kvass production that occurred last winter. In particular, according to Rosstat, only in January 2010, 1.4 million decalitres of kvass* were produced in the Moscow region, which is very unusual for the cold season.

* data for November-December 2009 were not available when preparing the article due to changes in the classification of drinks in Rosstat reports.

Presumably, the production of "Mugs and Barrels" could be located at the Mytishchi enterprise of the "Moscow Brewing Company", which already produces kvass and declares an open policy of partnership with leading beverage producers (by the way, "MPK" had a license for bottling kvass "My family" for Nidan). However, this is only an assumption, another large producer in the Moscow region could produce non-seasonal volumes of kvass.
In connection with the transition to Coca-Cola, in August 2010, the company "Nidan Juices" refused to produce kvass under its umbrella brand. " When it became clear that the company was being bought by Coca-Cola, we felt it was pointless to compete with their Mug and Barrel brand.", Andrey Yanovsky, a member of the board of directors of Nidan, told Kommersant. According to him, since, due to the seasonal nature of the product, the production of My Family kvass was not carried out year-round, its last batch was bottled at the end of 2009 and in the future the company sold off the remnants .

PepsiCo

Historically, PepsiCo has acted symmetrically with its main beverage competitor, Coca-Cola. Therefore, non-alcoholic giants also entered the kvass category at the same time - in 2007. In general, the start of PepsiCo looked even more successful, since the company did not create its own trademark from scratch, but started distributing the already popular Pershin kvass. But corporate, financial and operational problems with the brand's owner, Eugene Bougele Vine, forced PepsiCo to withdraw from the contract in 2009.
However, even if these problems had not arisen, and the Pershin distribution contract had been retained, Coca-Cola would have outstripped its competitor sooner or later, since it was actively engaged in promoting its kvass. Obviously, Coca-Cola's budgets were not comparable to the marketing costs of Eugene Bougele Vine, which was reflected in the change in the market positions of the two companies. This development of events hardly satisfied PepsiCo.
Having lost the brand, but having gained experience in the kvass market, PepsiCo started everything from scratch and organized contract manufacturing under its own brand. As early as April 2010, retail deliveries of a new kvass, "Russian Gift", began. At the same time, it became known that kvass was bottled under a contract at Deka's facilities.
PepsiCo followed the example of competitors and did not experiment with the brand image. The company also distanced itself from its non-alcoholic beverages, creating yet another product "according to traditional Russian recipes." Honored Artist of Russia, who developed the packaging design, commented on his work: " Kvass "Russian Gift" is a combination of two primordially Russian symbols: the art of making kvass and Khokhloma painting. In its harmonious unity, the "Russian Gift" personifies the revival of Russian traditions and the preservation of folk culture.".
Already in May 2010, an advertising campaign for a new brand with the slogan "Century Traditions of Russian Kvass" began. The main idea of ​​the commercial was that more than one generation of Russian people enjoyed kvass like "Russian Gift".
Efficiency and activity of PepsiCo have borne fruit. According to Business Analytics, already in the first half of 2010 Russian Dar kvass accounted for 3% of the market in physical terms and 4% in money terms. Such a powerful dynamic can be considered a demonstration of how quickly Russian kvass lovers can switch and taste the new product.
Despite the success, PepsiCo accelerated its growth in market share, deciding on a very non-standard move for kvass producers. At the end of the high sales season, the company released the sub-brand "Russian Dar Klyukva". The design of the label was based on the already accepted and approved Khokhloma ornament depicting berries and cranberry leaves.

In terms of growth in market share, which falls with the onset of autumn, this launch could be called work for the future. However, he could give good results in 2010 as well. The advertising campaign, of course, was not original in that it emphasized the traditions of Russian kvass brewing and a focus on a family audience with children. But in this case, it was built in such a way as to encourage off-season consumption of the drink. The main idea of ​​the video is kvass "Russkiy Dar Klyukva" due to its special properties that improves health in the winter season and multiplies strength. Naturally, the taste of the drink itself should have aroused increased consumer interest, since the new sub-brand combined two categories of natural products: kvass and cranberry juice (20%, according to the label).

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Eugene Bougele Vine
In 2009, a major player left the market - the Eugene Bougele Vine company, which was unable to cope with the crisis and rebuild or sell its business in time. Kvass "Pershin" - the project of its former owner Evgeny Pershin - appeared in 2004 as an addition to the existing business of selling wine and sbiten. At the same time, in the city of Sasov, Ryazan region, a plant was launched for the production of low-alcohol natural drinks by fermentation with a long shelf life.
Soon the brand became well known to kvass lovers. In 2007, "Eugène Bougele Vine" decided on a strategic partnership and transferred the rights to distribute its kvass to PepsiCo. The next year became "star" for Eugene Bougele Vine - the company became the third player in the kvass market with a share of 9.7%. According to our estimates, the production volumes of Perishin kvass amounted to almost... million decalitres.
A business built on ownership has not survived the decline in consumption and financial problems. Numerous creditors of the company filed for bankruptcy, and PepsiCo terminated the kvass distribution contract. Back in June 2009, the volumes of kvass output by the bottler "Eugene Bougele Vine" were at a fairly high level, but in July they fell sharply, and by September the production stopped. Accordingly, according to the results of 2009, the sales of "Eugene Bougele Vine" decreased by about...% to... million decalitres. But it was not just a recession - the market share of the Pershin brand fell rapidly during the year, and the brand practically disappeared from retail. Based on the results of 2009, Eugene Bougele Vine LLC reduced its revenue by...% to... million rubles. and received a net loss of ... million rubles.
Also, at the end of 2009, it became known that Pershin changed its owner. According to the Vedomosti newspaper, the brand was acquired by an offshore company that pledged the rights to it to a firm associated with the wine importer, the Moro group. The new owner planned to bottle kvass under the Pershin brand at free production sites. For example, we know that in April 2010, Moscow Brewing Company received permission from Rospotrebnadzor to produce Pershin kvass. But, as the press service of "MPK" says, the possibility of bottling this brand was only discussed.
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Regional and small producers of kvass

Large federal scale companies in 2011 will feel increased pressure from regional manufacturers. They are quite competitive on the kvass market and play a significant role, especially in settlements remote from the capital.
Unlike other product categories, the development of medium and small kvass producers is not hindered by global and licensed brands with a global image. Until now, the themes of usefulness and native land, patriotic motives have been actively used in kvass brand building. But the formed, like the nostalgic image of kvass, only plays into the hands of medium and small companies. Traditional advertising, although it supports the recognition of federal brands, has little effect on their value for the consumer, who, choosing today among familiar products, will rather be guided by the taste and price of the drink.
If, on the basis of regional statistics, we group companies with Western capital or with wide distribution (including Borodino Group of Companies and Moscow Brewing Company), then the share of the remaining enterprises in the total volume of kvass production in 2010 will be slightly less than ...%. Relative to 2009, their market share has decreased by several percent. But this happened because large companies with a wide distribution system found themselves in better conditions due to the coincidence of the geography of their sales and the geography of temperature anomalies in the summer of 2010. In addition, the young brands of federal players have realized their main potential this season. Therefore, not 2010, but the next one - 2011 should answer the question: whether the consolidation in the kvass market continues.
One of the largest regional producers - JSC "Tomskoe pivo". The main activity of the Siberian company is the production of beer, in recent years kvass accounted for 10-15% of total sales. 2009 was quite a successful year for the development of Tomsk Pivo, since the dynamics of production, although it slowed down, did not become negative, as with most beverage producers, and financial indicators improved significantly. But the production of kvass in 2009 decreased by 19% to 1.81 million decalitres. According to the company's report, the decline was due to the cold spring and summer of 2009, increased competition in the kvass market due to the launch of new brands by other companies, as well as due to crisis processes and a decrease in consumer demand.
According to the results of 2010, Tomsk Pivo will noticeably improve its performance not only in relation to 2009, but also to the pre-crisis level - an increase of more than 30% is expected. On the one hand, this dynamics is noticeably lower than that of federal kvass producers. On the other hand, it can be called very high, given that there was no hot summer in Siberia, unlike in the European part of the country. That is, according to Tomsk Pivo, the company in its region worked better than other producers in general. In addition, the company is seriously engaged in the development of sales of kvass in kegs - now they account for more than 10% of the total volume. The expansion of the geography of sales also played a significant role, although the Siberian region still remains the main sales market.
Maxim Kurokhtin, Marketing Director of Tomsk Pivo, says that the company's strategic goal at the moment is leadership in the Siberian kvass market. The Blagodey brand is also known in remote regions, but sales there are not a priority. If the share grows outside Siberia and the Urals, this will mean that the company is not fulfilling its main task and is losing money on logistics.
However, the CEO and owner of the company, Ivana Klein, said in an interview with Interfax that the company's long-term development strategy (2011-2015) provides for an increase in production capacity while considering the possibility of acquiring or building a brewery to the west of the existing production. At the same time, Ivan Klein noted that in the European part of Russia today there is an overabundance of capacities, so there are risks of building a large enterprise there and then leaving it. At the same time, he said that Eastern Siberia is less attractive for Tomsk Pivo than the Urals and the Western direction, but the main problem in distant regions is logistics. Today, the company is not fully realizing its potential: it is too expensive to use the railroad, and there is not enough road transport.
Other regional breweries also showed excellent growth. Based on regional statistics, a significant increase occurred at the enterprises of the Republic of Chuvashia, the Kirov region and the Altai Territory - together, brewers and beverage producers in these regions doubled the production of kvass, exceeding the volume of 4 million decalitres. In particular, according to our assessment, JSC "Bouquet of Chuvashia" by the end of 2010, it increased the production of kvass by more than 2 times, up to about 2 million decalitres. The production line of the company includes a number of well-known brands of kvass, in particular, the Slaven brand, which was actively promoted by Buket Chuvashia back in 2007. According to the company's annual report, in 2009 it occupied 70% of the kvass market in the Chuvash Republic.
Company Ltd "Kursk kvass"was founded in 2005 and by 2007 it had won about 5% of the Russian kvass market. However, until 2009 the company's intake volumes were stable - about 1.3 million decalitres, which, against the backdrop of market growth, led to a reduction in the company's weight. Nevertheless , today "Kursky kvass" is one of the largest producers in the Central region, and the brand "Utolyaev" is known in many cities of Russia, as the company seeks to expand the geography of its sales and actively cooperates with HoReCa. This year, "Kursky kvass" on the eve of the sales season updated the design of his brand, which was quite original before. As stated in the press release: " The updated label has a number of visual differences from the previous one. Changes in the design of the label touched its central element - the character of the "boyar", which has become more vivid, open, realistic and positive. In addition, the background element of the label has become clearer, displaying the endless fields of mature ears and emphasizing the naturalness of the product.".
Also, in recent years, regional producers of soft drinks have begun to pursue an increasingly active marketing policy, which had a positive effect on output volumes in 2010. Here are examples of three launches of the past season, which were covered in the press.
In June, the Lipetsk company JSC "Rosinka" introduced live fermentation kvass "Zlatoyar" on the market of the central region. The brand is positioned as a traditional Russian kvass with a refreshing taste of "the same" kvass. The attention of the consumer is focused on the fact that "Zlatoyar" is prepared by fermentation from natural grain raw materials without the addition of preservatives, dyes and flavors.
In July, the Dagestan company - JSC "Deneb" released kvass "Captain's barrel" with a rather original bottle shape and label design. It is also unusual that the main idea of ​​the developers of the brand concept was not nostalgia or tradition, but " a positive and relaxed mood that is associated with the season of kvass - summer, because summer is vacation and the sea"Moreover, the main sales direction of the company is the Southern region. The image that sets the name was developed in the label design. The handwritten logo allowed to emphasize some "rollabout" of the name, and the silhouette of the seagull - a marine theme. To give the local brand a more modern look , and thus rebuild it from the "traditional" counterparts, the original bottle was developed.
In September 2010, the Chelyabinsk PK Niagara LLC updated the design of one of its kvass - "Park Kultury". The company built its marketing communications on nostalgia for "the same kvass from childhood" and the manifestation of patriotism. The package design is made in a retro style, with a corresponding retro character. According to the company, in 2010 kvass "Park Kultury" was already sold in 37 regions of Russia.

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Foto: "MK-Estonia"

In summer there always comes a time when people start drinking kvass. The drink is very traditional not only for Russia, but also for Estonia, in addition, it is not only a refreshing drink, but is perfect for dressing okroshka. How to choose the best one and how not to make a mistake when buying kvass in a store - MK-Estonia found out.

There are a great many recipes for kvass, but modern townspeople prefer not to bother, although we noticed rye bread cakes in one of the stores, designed specifically for making homemade kvass. It is much easier and faster to go to the right shelves, choose what you need from a long line, thereby making your life easier.

However, when choosing kvass, you also need to be very careful. The first pitfall is its naturalness. The fact is that we have two types of kvass: one obtained by the classical fermentation method, and the second - a drink with the taste of kvass. That is, we are not talking about real kvass here. Therefore, always read the label on bottles. If you want the real one, choose the one that says kvass, not kääritamata jook (drink without fermentation).

The second important point is to decide what you want kvass for. If for okroshka, we are forced to upset - almost all varieties of kvass are sweetened with us. Somewhere there is more sugar, somewhere less, but it is there. We found only one sample, on the label of which it was written strictly and to the point: “kvass for okroshka”. And that's it.

But even for ordinary drinking, choosing kvass is also not easy: as many fans of this drink note, over the years it becomes sweeter and sweeter. Therefore, he will not quench his thirst.

natural-live

The lion's share of our range is positioned as a natural product. And judging by the labels, it really is. Kvass contains water, sugar, malt and yeast. Everything else is already superfluous. True, for better preservation of the drink, preservatives and acidity regulators are added there.
“Thanks to natural fermentation, all B vitamins and minerals are preserved in kvass,” representatives of one of the industries explain.

The preparation of wort for kvass takes several hours. Then the process of fermentation or fermentation begins, which also lasts about half a day. Then the mass matures for several days, so that only after that water and sugar can be added to it. So the process of making kvass is not at all fast. And yet ... a little alcoholic.

The fact is that as a result of fermentation processes, alcohol is released, this is an absolutely natural and normal process (by the way, kefir is also a fermentation product and it also contains a meager dose of alcohol). But its content in the drink is minimal, although if you are going to drive after drinking a fair amount of kvass, still weigh the need for a trip.

Choosing the best

It is not difficult to find kvass with us. And not only Estonian. There are no problems with the natural origin of kvass, however, as already noted, it seems to many to be excessively sweet. Therefore, we were looking for the most unsweetened drink that can not only freshen up, but also quench your thirst in the heat. That is why the sugar content was placed in a separate evaluation point.

composition has not been evaluated. The fact is that, based on the classic recipe, kvass needs only four ingredients. But of the samples we tested, only one met this requirement. Unfortunately not Estonian. Preservatives and flavor stabilizers were added to all other samples. Since this is not critical and part of the technological process, no ratings were given.

But, besides this, there were points that you should always pay attention to when choosing this drink. This is what kvass lovers said to look at: the container should be dark, the expiration date of kvass should be short, the drink should have a characteristic bready aroma, foam, but not very much, when pouring and not have sediment if it is a filtered drink.
It turned out 5 (they didn’t evaluate the container and the expiration date - everything was “as it should”) points. Compliance - 1 point, incomplete compliance - half a point, non-compliance - nothing.

Linnuse Kali, Lithuania
Ingredients: water, sugar, barley malt extract, food coloring, acidity regulator - citric acid, flavoring and aromatic additives, preservative - potassium sorbate.
Price: €0.69/500 ml (€1.38/l)
Smell: 0
Foam: 0
Sediment: 0
Sugar: 8.4 g per 100 ml
"Real": This is a kvass flavored drink.
Rating: 0/5

Comment: perhaps, this sample can be called out of competition, because the label clearly says that this is a kvass-flavored drink. And it was taken on trial - to compare the difference. Now, with all responsibility, we can say that yes. Lemonade with the taste of kvass loses much to the real “live” kvass, even if it is not prepared by oneself. In addition, its price is clearly not profitable.

Classic kvass, Saku, Estonia

Ingredients: water, glucose-fructose syrup, barley and rye extracts, rye, acidity regulator - citric acid, preservatives: potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate.
Price: €0.65/568 ml (€1.14/l)
Smell: very incomprehensible aroma, interrupts the smell of aluminum
Foam: very little
Sediment: no
Sugar: 5.8 g per 100 ml
"Reality": live fermentation
Rating: 3/5

Comment: even a blind test immediately highlighted this sample due to the characteristic metallic taste. Alas, the jar “killed” the aroma and taste of the drink. The children who also tasted the drink unanimously wrote “not tasty”. But almost not sweet.

Dark kvass, A.Le Coq, Estonia

Ingredients: water, sugar, rye, barley and wheat malt, yeast, dye - caramel, hops, acidity regulator - citric acid, preservative - potassium sorbate.
Price: 0.99 euro/l
Smell: Excellent bread aroma.
Foam: strong, thick, a lot
Sediment: clean
Sugar: 8.2 g per 100 ml
"Real": a product of live fermentation
Rating: 4/5

Comment: Very pleasant drink, light. But… sweet. I would like to reduce the amount of sugar, but perhaps then the taste will become sharper. After all, kvass is positioned as dark. Otherwise, a very worthy drink - both in aroma, and in color, and in taste. But not to quench your thirst. Minus the sugar.

Nikola, Russia

Ingredients: water, sugar, rye and barley malt, rye flour, baker's yeast.
Price: €1.59/2L (€0.80/L)
Smell: good aroma, bready
Foam: medium
Sediment: clean
Sugar: not specified quantity
"Real": live fermentation, the best recipe
Rating: 4/5