Alcohol producer Bacardi is increasing profits in Russia

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the international Bacardi alcohol company has tripled its profit from sales in Russia, although it promised to leave the Russian market in 2022. According to an investigation by The Bell, the company continues direct deliveries of its products to Russia. In addition, Bacardi carries out contract bottling of its distillates at the Georgievsky factory in Krasnoznamensk, Moscow region.

It follows from the company’s report that compared to 2021, the cost of fixed assets of the Russian Bacardi branch in 2022 increased from 57 to 850 million rubles. The branch’s revenue increased from 30.1 billion rubles to 32.6 billion, and net profit tripled from 1.5 to almost 4.7 billion rubles.

As The Bell learned, already after February 24, 2022, Bacardi received four declarations of compliance with the import of alcohol products. They allow you to export alcohol to Russia for a long time. For example, the EAEU declaration for Martini Bianco Special Edition, received by the company on March 20, 2023, allows the import of vermouth until March 19, 2028. Since the beginning of the war, the Russian branch of Bacardi has registered 37 new warehouse units.

At the same time, in March 2022, Bacardi International posted a statement on its website condemning Russia’s attack on Ukraine. The company promised to donate 1 million dollars to the Red Cross and Mercy Corps, stop exports to Russia and freeze investment in advertising. After the announcement was circulated by the press, the promises about the cessation of exports and marketing expenses disappeared from the text (but they are still available in the saved version of the page).

• Bacardi International is the largest family-owned alcohol producer in the world. The company owns such brands as Bacardí rum, Gray Goose vodka, Patrón tequila, Aberfeldy, Dewar’s, William Lawson’s whiskeys, Bombay Sapphire gin, Martini & Rossi vermouths and wines, and many others.