Saku Õlletehas                NEWS RELEASE                      04/03/2002



INVESTMENTS TO MAIN BRAND AND TECHNOLOGY



Saku  Brewery  is renewing its best-known trademark  Saku

Originaal  and  gradually the whole line of  Saku  beers.

Renewing  the  trademark  involves  investment   in   the

development   and   streamlining   of   production    and

technologies. The purpose of the renewal is to attain a 7

percent  increase  in  the  sale  of  premium  beer  Saku

Originaal in all types of containers.



In  upgrading the trademark Saku Brewery Ltd is investing

in  its  strategic edge, which according  to  the  market

research  company EMOR is Saku Originaal, the  best-known

trademark  of  quality beer in Estonia. Over  the  coming

year, the containers of the whole line of Saku beers will

be  renewed so that they could be distinguished as a blue

line  on the shelves of sales outlets. The bottle of Saku

Originaal that has already been renewed will be  followed

by  the  can,  then  Saku  Light and  Saku  Strong,  Saku

Pilsner, Saku Porter and Saku Tume. The line was composed

on  the  basis of a profitability-based analysis  of  the

existing  product portfolio. The container of Saku  Hele,

the  only Czech type beer in Estonia, is going to  retain

its  present  design,  as it differs  from  other  beers.

Marketing  of  the alternative line Rock and  Hard  Rock,

extra strong beer Sorts and trend beer Saku on Ice,  will

continue under an independent trademark.



Investments  in  the  renewal of the principal  trademark

Saku  Originaal total 3.5 million kroons (224  000  EUR).

The   figure  includes  investment  in  the  renewal   of

containers, design, advertising and a campaign with video

clips.  The  renewal was triggered by  a  package  survey

conducted by EMOR.



Concurrently  with  trademark development,  Saku  Brewery

will   invest  in  the  development  of  production   and

technologies. Today, Saku Brewery launched  new  bottling

equipment,  a  new conveyer system and a new  pasteurizer

whose  total  cost  amounts to approximately  19  million

kroons  (1,2  m  EUR). The new equipment should  help  to

stabilise  the  taste  of the product  over  an  extended

period and ought to increase the productivity of the line

by  5  percent. In addition, it should reduce  production

waste  and energy consumption. In the previous year  Saku

Brewery  spent approximately 32 million kroons on  a  new

filling  line  for  kegs. The next  investments  will  be

directed   at   upgrading  the  brewery’s   can   filling

technology.



According to Estonian Breweries Association, Saku Brewery

has  a leading position in market, holds 48.5 percent  of

the Estonian beer market.





Kristina Seimann

PR manager

372 6 508 303