Carlsberg Polska is the Polish subsidiary of the Carlsberg brewing company. Carlsberg acquired 100% control of the Okocim Group, which included the Okocim Brewery, in 2004.
The subsidiary owns four brewing plants and employs 1,250 staff. It is the third largest brewing company in Poland with a 14.4% market share.[1]
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The Okocim Brewery was founded in 1845. Carlsberg beer was imported into Poland until Carlsberg acquired a stake in the Okocim Brewery in 1997 in exchange for giving Okocim a license to produce Carlsberg.
Carlsberg expanded its presence in Poland in 2001 by becoming a majority shareholder of Okocim and purchasing the Bosman, Kasztelan and Piast breweries; the operation was named the Carlsberg Okocim Group. The Carlsberg brand was re-launched that year and became the fastest growing international brand in Poland, with a sales increase of 671%.
In 2004 Carlsberg purchased the remaining shares of Okocim and renamed the group, Carlsberg Polska. Carlsberg Polska is a 100% owned subsidiary of the Carlsberg Group and is the third largest brewing company in the Polish beer market, which is one of the world’s top 10 by volume.
Okocim Brewery was established in 1845 by Johann Evangelist Götz,[2] who was born in Wirtemberg in 1815. His son Jan Albin expanded the family business, married a Polish aristocrat, and changed his name to Goetz-Okocimski. In 1945 the brewery was nationalised, then reprivatised in the 1990s.[3] Carlsberg first acquired an interest in 1996, eventually acquiring full control in 2004.
Brands produced are mainly pale lagers of varying strengths ranging from 0.5% abv to 7% and include Carlsberg, O.K. Beer, Signature, Mocne, and Karmi. The brewery produces two dark lagers, Palone (5.5%) and Porter (8.3%).
Karmi is a range of low alcohol flavoured lagers marketed for women.[4][5] The range includes Classic, Poema di Cafe (coffee) and Malinowa Pasja (raspberry).[6]
The Kasztelan Brewery was founded in 1972 and taken over by Carlsberg in 2004. It produces three pale lagers, Kasztelan Jasne Pełne, Kasztelan Mocne and Kasztelan Niepasteryzowane.[7]
Founded in 1848. It has an annual production of 280,000 hl It has two main brands, Bosman Full, a 5.7% pale lager, and Bosman Specjal a 6.6% Strong lager. [8]
Carlsberg Polska’s portfolio includes three other national brands - Harnas, launched in 2003, Okocim, which is enjoying increasing export success, and Karmi, a beer designed for women. It also has three regional brands – Piast, Kasztelan and Bosman.