Rodnik has been traditionally known as the world's oldest and finest vodka. The distillery is in Samara, Russia, and has been in production since 1895. OOO SK Rodnik is one of the major European manufacturers of alcoholic drinks in the world. Production facilities of the distillery make it one of the best in the industry. The integrated distillery includes the main plant in Samara, and the alcohol plant in Noviy Buyan of Samara Region, thus providing for the full range of drink production.
The company manufactures premium alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks using high-end equipment and innovative technologies. Careful selection of raw materials, total automated control over the production chain, consistent work of qualified professionals, all provide for Rodnik products to gain high marks from experts, and to be acknowledged by a wide range of consumer groups.
Rodnik products are supplied to many Russian regions, exported abroad to many CIS and non-CIS countries. Such vodka brands as Rodnik Gold, Rodnik Classic, Triumfalnaya have been given high awards at major Russian and international trade fairs and exhibitions, and have won the deserved recognition. Beside alcoholic drinks, the distillery manufactures premium drinking water. Thanks to an 8-step treatment process, Rodnik Water can boast the properties of “live” water and the taste of spring water.
Production
The production capacity of Rodnik Distillery amounts to 5.o million decilitres (200 million bottles) per year. The Distillery plans to start the production of low-alcoholic (1.5 million deciliters per year) and non-alcoholic (1 million deciliters per year) drinks. The integrated distillery manufactures the popular brands of OAO Samarskiy Kombinat Rodnik (Samara Distillery) with a long history of success. In the nearest future the Company is planning to change the existing brands and to create new (and even unique) ones almost in all price segments.
Handcrafted, distilled, and bottled in Samara, Russia using Russian winter wheat, water, and birchwood filtration, according to a 15th century formula. The distillation of vodka was established in Moscovia between 1410 and 1470. The distillery uses Lux grade alcohol, treated water having a spring taste, with a bottle that was designed to thwart counterfeiting. It is considered among the best alcoholic drinks not only in the Russian and European markets, but in the world. At one time, Vodka Rodnik Gold was the most expensive Russian vodka in the world, selling for $500 US a bottle. It is exclusively imported and sold in the western hemisphere by Native Spirits Limited, a Nevada (Las Vegas) limited liabiliy company. The company was founded and is controlled by longtime entrepreneur Dr. Mark S. Williams, CEO (Scottsdale, AZ). Native Spirits Limited owns, imports, markets, and distributes the ultra high-premium Vektor Vodka. Additionally, the company imports, markets, wholesales, and distributes Rodnik Gold, Rodnik Classic, and flavored vodkas, as well as a number of other Rodnik vodkas produced at the Samara distillery under private labels.
Russia was the first country to establish the production of vodka and introduce a state vodka monopoly. In 1474 Rosspiritprom, a Russian agency was established to guard the recipe for vodka. Vodka comes from the root Russian work Voda, meaning water. Vodka is 40% pure alcohol and 60% water. The Russian state reserved the right to produce and trade vodka and guarantee the quality. The Rodnik Vodka factory established in 1895 produces this proprietary recipe and was the official exporter of "Genuine Russian Vodka" under the brand name Stolychnaya. Rodnik exported all of the "Official" vodka for barter with Pepsi Cola company starting in 1966.
Production of ООО SK Rodnik is organized under a fully closed cycle: all technological operations from purchasing and storage of grain to delivery of the products to the final consumer are thoroughly controlled by the Company specialists. The structure of SK Rodnik includes Novy Buyan Distillery with the in-house granary providing reliable safety of the raw materials. The produced alcohol is sent directly to the Integrated Distillery, as well as is delivered to a number of the first-rate Russian producers of alcohol, which confirms its superior quality.
Quality of the water, and also the technology of its preparation, are important on production of vodka. The natural water supplied to the Integrated Distillery undergoes thorough five-stage treatment at the equipment of the leading brands of Grundfos, Ultec (Germany), CFS Inox (Italy), and Yenisei-5 (Russia). First, the primary water is supplied to the German Ultrafiltration Unit. The unique equipment treats from organic and mineral admixtures at the molecular level. Then the water is softened and then it is supplied to the reversal osmosis plant allowing to produce water, which is close to the distilled one in the chemical composition, but possessing a fresh spring taste.
Use of quality gustatory additives in addition to the treated water and alcohol is a mandatory condition for high quality of the product. Only ecologically pure natural components are used at the Integrated Distillery, which serves as a guarantee of the excellent product taste and safety. If the formulation envisages use of honey, lemon, cedar or even birch juice, the consumer can be sure that the vodka will contain namely these components and not their artificial analogues.
Prior to bottling all finished product undergoes "finish" filtration using the equipment of PALL German Firm, allowing to compare it with the mountain crystal by the purity and transparency. The automated product mixing and bottling lines make the special pride of the enterprise. The high-precision technological process controlled by the automation and computer equipment allows to strictly follow the recipe, owing to which the released products has a stably high quality.
The automatic product bottling lines were manufactured specially for SK Rodnik by the best Italian firms of Bertolaso, Bortolin Kemo, P. E. Labelers, and Enopogio. All technological equipment has fully automated systems of control, stocktaking and prevention of product rejects. In addition to this, all equipment and the trunk lines involved in the technological process are manufactured of rust-proof steel, which also excludes loss of the product quality.
The bottles used for bottling the renovated vodka of Rodnik product line have an original square design and are manufactured at Bunikovskyi Glass Works (Moscow area), one of the leading glass enterprises, exclusively for Rodnik Samara Complex, which guarantees reliable protection against falsifications. One more know-how of the Complex includes the adhesive label with several degrees of protection, which also serves for the same purposes. Owing to the special coating the label shines in the ultraviolet light (same way as money banknotes), allowing any Buyer to conduct the authenticity test by way of a pocket ultraviolet light right in the store. A new cap, which is made by hot stamping especially for Rodnik at Torento enterprises in Spain is also unique. There are only several enterprises in Russia having such delineation technology, which serves as an additional degree of protection against falsifications.
ООО SK Rodnik has a powerful warehousing and transport base. The warehouse premises with the total area of more than 12 ths. m2 have already been constructed; construction of additional areas being in progress. There are automobile and railroad service lines and terminals available. The autonomous automatic Boiler House supplies the enterprise with hot water and steam. The in-house alcohol cellar of our Factory meets the latest requirements. The design capacity of SK Rodnik makes more than 5 mln. dhal (100 mln. bottles) per year. In addition to this, the enterprise starts releasing low-alcohol products (1.5 mln. dhal per year) and non-alcohol drinks (1 mln. dhal per year).
Awards
ООО SK Rodnik has been actively participating in specialized domestic and international expositions for years. Each of them becomes the next triumph bringing new prestige awards to the Integrated Distillery and its products. A list of awards follows:
Gold medal International exhibition-fair “PRODEXPO-2009” The 11th tasting competition of alcohol beverages Is awarded to vodka “Rodnik Gold” February 2009. Moscow
Gold Medal International exhibition-fair “PRODEXPO-2008” The 10th tasting competition of alcohol beverages Is awarded to vodka “Rodnik-Lemon” February 2008. Moscow
Gold Medal International exhibition-fair “PRODEXPO-2008” The 10th tasting competition of alcohol beverages Is awarded to vodka “Rodnik Gold” February 2008. Moscow
Silver medal International exhibition-fair “PRODEXPO-2008” The 10th tasting competition of alcohol beverages Is awarded to vodka “Rodnik-Black Currant” February 2008. Moscow
At the international exposition of Prodexpo-2007, which took place in Moscow Exposition Center, ООО SK Rodnik took part in two major and prestige shows: International Tasting Competition and Competition of the Best Product. In both shows Rodnik products received the highest marks. Gold medals were awarded in the tasting competition to Rodnik Classic Vodka. One more product line of vodkas and liquors released by the complex was awarded with certificates of honor for quality and gustatory characteristics.
The total number of awards honored to Rodnik products during the total period of participating in various expositions is more than 300. A short list is provided below:
Gold Medal International Fair of PRODEXPO-2006 Awarded to Gold Rodnik Vodka. February, 2006. Moscow
Gold Mark The 14th International Exposition-Competition named All-Russia Make (3d Millennium). Quality Mark of the 21st Century. Awarded to Gold Rodnik Vodka. December 2005. Moscow
Gold National Prize National prize for quality of alcohol products Awarded to Gold Rodnik Vodka. November 2005. Moscow
Gold Medal International Exposition of Golden Galaxy. Awarded to Gold Rodnik Vodka. February, 2005. Washington, USA
Gold Medal Competition named ONE HUNDRED Best Goods of Russia Awarded to Gold Rodnik Vodka. November 2004. Moscow
Gold Medal The 3d International Forum of Drinks Industry Awarded to Gold Rodnik Vodka. October 2003. Moscow
Gold Medal The 8th Exposition-Fair «Russian Regions-2003». «Best Domestic Goods» Awarded to Gold Rodnik Vodka. June, 2003. Moscow
Gold Medal The 10th International Special Exposition of Petersburg Fair of Wines and Vodkas. Awarded to Gold Rodnik Vodka. June, 2003. St. Petersburg
History
1895 – Distillery (Rectification) Plant on production of vodka and other liquor products and government sales was organized in Samara under the Order of Sergey (Yuliyevich) Vitte, Earl, Finance Minister.
1900 – Expansion of the Distillery. The City Duma (Council) let the Distillery have 400 square sazhen (measure of length = 2.34 meters) more at the price of RUR12,000.00. A railroad broad-gauge branch line laid.
1906 – A furnace stack built – height of 17.7 sazhen (>35 meters), wall thickness – two bricks.
1914 – Start of the First World War. The Distillery produces alcohol and other products for the front-line.
1918 – After the Revolution the Distillery starts operating anew as a wine and alcohol warehouse.
1923 – Production of alcohol drinks, liqueurs up to 20% strength, resumed.
1925 - Production of the “treated wine”, vodka, started.
1930 – Opening of a liqueur bottling production line; the assortment includes several varieties of wine: port wines with different numbers, white sherry, and red port wine. The Distillery is officially assigned the name of Samara Liqueur and Vodka Distillery.
1935 – Samara renamed in Kuibyshev under the Decree of the USSR Supreme Council.
1941 - Great Periodic War. The Distillery cut the production volumes having shifted to the needs of the front-line. The shops produce food concentrates, tape blasting caps, and ignition mix. The line for production of bottles with ignition mix started.
1946 – Resolution of resuming the liqueur and vodka production line made.
1950 – The production line recovered in full. Assortment of the Distillery includes more than thirty items of the liqueur and vodka products.
1956 – The volume of produced vodka is 1,224,418.00 deciliters (2.5 million bottles).
1960 – Samara Liqueur and Vodka Distillery, named as KLVZ then, the first one for the history of the USSR, starts exporting vodka (Stolychnaya) to the United States.
1985 – Start of the anti-alcohol campaign proclaimed by M.(S.) Gorbatchyov. Vodka is queued for all over the country. Production is cut, equipment is forcibly removed. Employees at Samara Distillery save part of the equipment at its fear and risk.
1994 - KLVZ as the first one of the country enterprises is honored the prestige European Award “Arc of Europe” granted by the European Market Research Center.
1997 - KLVZ was given with the “Certificate of Honor” title.
2000 – Export activities of the Integrated Distillery was highly estimated by the State. The Trade and Economic Council at the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation awarded the Integrated Distillery with the name “Best Exporter of 2000”.
2006 – A new alcohol production center, one of the major ones in Europe, which continues more than one-hundred year traditions of making alcoholic drinks, opens in Samara.
2009 - Rodnik Vodka moves to many new markets including: China, Japan, India, and Australia.
2010 - Native Spirits Limited secures exclusive agreement, and Rodnik Vodka moves to the United States Market.