BULGARIAN brewers said on July 18 that they sold 582 000 hectolitres of beer in June, taking sales for the first half of the year to about two million hectolitres, down about one percent year-on-year.
The Union of Brewers in Bulgaria (UBB) said that Kamenitza brewery, part of the InBev group that was born from the merger of Belgian Interbrew and Brazilian AmBev, topped the list of sales in the first six months, selling 679 000 hectolitres of beer. Kamenitza offers the Kamenitza, Astika, Bourgasko Pivo, Pleven, Slavena, Stella Artois, Beck’s and Staropramen brands.
Kamenitza was followed by Zagorka brewery, owned by Greek Coca-Cola HBC and Dutch brewing group Heineken. Zagorka, which sells the Zagorka, Amstel, Heineken, Murphy’s, Ariana and Stolichno beer brands, sold 651 000 hectolitres of beer in the period.
Danish brewer Carlsberg, which sold 435,000 hectolitres of the Pirinsko Pivo, Shumensko Pivo, Tuborg and Carlsberg brands, was third on the list.
Boliarka, Lomsko Pivo and Agrima occupied the final three places on the list.
The weather in July, however, is not very favourable for the industry and it will not become clear before the end of the summer whether the industry will register an increase. Bad weather has also hampered the supply of brewing barley, the main raw material required for production.
The brewing industry in the country continues to invest heavily in upgrading technology, the UBB said at a news conference. For the first half of 2005 breweries have invested a total of 45 million leva. Since the beginning of privatisation in the sector, total investment has reached 349 million leva.
Carlsberg Bulgaria had the biggest investment this year, with 17 million leva, which launched a new line for plastic bottles at its brand Shumensko Pivo and expanded production by more than 50 per cent.
The company also began a large-scale renovation at Blagoevgrad-based Pirinsko Pivo, which will top 20 million leva.
With around 14 million leva injected, Zagorka AD ranks second in investment.
Lomsko Pivo is preparing a surprise for consumers by planning to market a new, unknown type of beer later this year. The brew contains a certain amount of rice, which makes it thick and tasty, CEO Oleg Prokopiev said.
Meanwhile, soft drink consumption increased by 37 million litres, or 13 per cent, in the second half of 2005, compared to the same period of 2004, Bulgarian Soft Drinks Association said on July 18.
Mineral water posted the highest increase of 18 per cent, with a 22 million litre year-on-year growth. The consumption of mineral water in the public sector rose 45 per cent. 
Consumption of carbonated soft drinks increased 7 per cent year-on-year.
Non-carbonated fruit drinks posted a 17 per cent increase, or about a million litres, compared to the second quarter of 2004.
Bulgarian products are still dominating with a market share of 86 per cent, the Association said. Many Bulgarian companies have started the production of iced tea and energy drinks.
The data show that 2005 might turn into a very successful year for manufacturers and salesmen and that soft drink consumption might reach 1.19 billion litres, up 125 million litres compared to 2004. This would mean the per capita consumption would increase from 137 to 155 litres.