ROMANIA: Zaganu Beer producer reported a 10% sales growth in H1 | Progresiv
After in 2017 Zaganu Beer Factory's businesses increased by 12.2% compared to 2016, to 4.18 million lei, the first semester brought a 10% advance based on attracting new customers and increasing production capacity from year to year. 
"For Zaganu 2017 it was a good year, sales increased by 13% compared to 2016, by expanding the portfolio of clients, especially in the country, in the cities outside Bucharest" Laurentiu Banescu told Progresiv (photo right) , co-founder of the Good Beer Factory.
Last year, the company, founded in 2013 by Laurentiu Banescu and Alexandru Geamanu, registered a turnover of 4.18 million lei, respectively a net profit of 637.976 lei.
After a "harder" first quarter, March saw a return of sales, making the first semester of this year a 10% gain compared to 2017.
"We believe that the Romanian beer drinkers have begun to have increased appetite for craft beer, made with natural ingredients and respecting the natural process of fermentation. Five years ago when Zaganu started the pioneering work, in 2013, things were totally different, practically no craft beer. Now we see an extraordinary evolution of craft beer producers, but especially of consumption, especially in HoReCa, but also in modern retail", Laurentiu Banescu said.
The list of priorities by the end of this year is the launch of new beers and the development of production and bottling capacity.
"Growth is the result of changing consumption from industrial beer and import of craft beer, and although the number of micro-breweies increases, I do not expect a major increase in total sales, but in about 2-3 years I believe that the market will pick up and we hope to reach 1% market share over the next 10 years", said Banescu.
At present, 20% of the production of the Maneciu-Ungureni village, Prahova County, goes to modern retail, the rest being distributed at HoReCa's locations in Bucharest, Iasi, Cluj or Brasov.
According to GfK, 12% of buyers chose beer craft in the last year, 30% more than in the previous period. The average volume of craft beer consumed throughout the year in a family is nearly 6 liters, being purchased almost 4 times a year. Micro-breweries evaluate the beer market at a volume of 10-12,000 hectoliters, or 0.1% of the local beer market.
