Jovo Ivetić, Amir Tobudić and Miloš Kraljević, Carlsberg: How beer becomes part of the region's gastronomic and tourist identity

- It is a rather long period of time, especially if we are talking about the FMCG industry, so I would divide it into several segments. First, we had a period from 2003, when the market was significantly influenced by the transition and the entry of foreign capital, followed by an increase in consumption. Later, from 2008, an economic crisis occurred which brought a period of stagnation, while after 2014 we have a period of consolidation and stabilization. The big shock for the market and the new adjustment was definitely the period of the pandemic and the inflation that followed it caused by the geopolitical changes that are happening in the world, which certainly have a strong impact on our country and market.

For Carlsberg as a Danish company, first of all I will emphasize the strong corporate culture which brings with it an emphasis on ethics and constant employee development. That with which Carlsberg maintained constant business development and market share, comes from the strength of our brands and portfolio. In addition to this, for years we have strongly implemented premiumization, invested in innovation, digitization and production capacity of our brewery in Čelarevo. We have tried to establish ourselves as someone who is a leader in terms of identifying and implementing new products along with building partnership relations with our customers.

- In the coming years, the focus of further development of the brand communication strategy will be based on achieving an optimal mix between traditional and innovative communication channels, recognizing the right consumption occasions and key values (assets) of our products, that set us apart from our competitors. We will take advantage of the increasing availability of new technologies, strive to always be modern and relevant and keep the consumer at the center of every message and innovation.

- Gastro tourism in Serbia is, in my personal opinion, predominantly focused on traditional cuisine where beer is one of the most common food pairing products. Our country is recognized as a country that can offer diverse cuisine which also carries a geographical stamp with it (for example, the difference between cuisine from Vojvodina and cuisine from the southern parts of the country). With its rich portfolio and offer, Carlsberg Serbia certainly offers different tastes and brands of beer, which beer lovers in Serbia recognize very well. So, among other things, in our offer you can find the domestic beer "Lav Premium", but also international brands such as Tuborg, Carlsberg, 1664 Blanc, Budweiser Budvar or Erdinger. In short, if a beer lover wants a German, Czech, Danish or French beer, he can find it all in our portfolio.

- At the end of this year, Carlsberg Bosnia and Herzegovina celebrates two full decades of business on the domestic market, and I can proudly say that we have achieved exceptional business results over the last few years, simultaneously developing as an organization and as a team. Only in the last year, which was very challenging for the beer industry, where a negative trend of the category was recorded, for Carlsberg Bosnia and Herzegovina this was a record year in terms of the achieved volume, but also financial results.

In the last few years, certain changes have been observed in consumer habits, particularly among the younger generations. These trends are reflected in the demand structure, with a slight increase in interest in products with a lower percentage of alcohol, non-alcoholic beers and innovative variants adapted to modern consumer habits.

Carlsberg Montenegro is responding to these trends through continuous innovations in the portfolio, developing new products and adapting communication to modern consumers. It is precisely through such an approach that we manage to stay relevant on the market and to strategically focus future initiatives towards sustainable growth, responsible consumption and further strengthening of relations with consumers.

- Our company recognizes the importance that tourism has for the overall market development in Montenegro, especially in the context of the growing interest in authentic experiences and local gastronomy. Although Montenegro records a large influx of tourists during the summer months, it is a relatively small market, so for now there is no full potential for the development of a strong and separate beer tourism in the classical sense.

Our strategy during the tourist season is primarily focused on offering tourists, but also domestic guests, the highest quality and most diverse beer experience, through a carefully selected product portfolio and cooperation with the catering sector. The focus is not solely on the quantity or breadth of the offer, but above all on the quality of the product, the way it is served and the overall experience which consumers have in contact with our brands.

In this sense, we see potential in the further improvement of beer culture, connecting beer with gastronomy and creating experiences that will complement the country`s tourist offer - through quality, authenticity and responsible enjoyment, instead of a mass concept of beer tourism.