Budweiser Budvar is launching new Somersby Pear Cider on the Czech market

Budweiser Budvar Brewery, N.C. became the sole importer of Somersby Apple Cider to the Czech Republic last year. Somersby is a premium brand of the Danish concern Carlsberg Breweries. The interest of Czech customers proved cider’s interesting business potential, as people have lately been seeking more and more new and unusual flavours of beverages and are not afraid to experiment.

“Last year we entered a completely new market segment, which had just begun to develop on the Czech market. We provided consumers with an alternative to malt alcoholic drinks, mixed beer brinks as well as wine. The Somersby brand was accepted very well by customers. We managed to sell more than 2,100 hectolitres, which is more than double the domestic production of this beverage. We expect the interest in cider to grow this year as well therefore we are launching its pear version,” says Budweiser Budvar’s domestic sales department manager Martin Horejš. That could result in doubling the volume of Somersby cider sold by Budvar this year, as opposed to the previous one. “Pear cider is going to be available all around the Czech Republic in retails as well as in gastronomic facilities. Large demand is also anticipated at summer musical festivals,” adds Martin Horejš.

Somersby Pear Cider is a slightly carbonated refreshing drink produced from fermented pear must and pear juice, best served chilled over ice. Somersby appeals to both women and men who enjoy an urban lifestyle, spending a lot of time with friends, thinking positively, willing to experiment and seeking unusual savouring experiences. Somersby Pear Cider has an alcohol content of 4.5%. It is going to be supplied on the Czech market in 0.33 litre non-returnable bottles and cans, with the final price in shops ranging around CZK 25 for a bottle.  

General information about the cider market
The cider segment in the Czech Republic has so far been very small and the drink as such is basically unknown here. As estimated by the Local Cider Producers Union, the Czech production of this beverage amounted only to about 1,000 hectolitres last year. There are no data available regarding the import of cider to the Czech Republic. In Western Europe on the other hand, cider is very popular. In 2010, about 15 million hectolitres of cider were consumed in Europe. The European consumption has been constantly growing since 2000, with the sales annually increasing by 3% on average. As market research suggests, this trend is going to continue in the forthcoming years as well.