Kotayk Brewery ( hy, «Կոտայք» գարեջրի գործարան ), is a

brewing company A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of beer ...

founded in 1974 in

Abovyan Abovyan or Abovian ( hy, Աբովյան), is a town and urban municipal community in Armenia within the Kotayk Province. It is located northeast of Yerevan and southeast of the province centre Hrazdan. As of the 2011 census, the population of ...

Kotayk Province Kotayk ( hy, Կոտայք, ), is a province ('' marz'') of Armenia. It is located at the central part of the country. Its capital is Hrazdan and the largest city is Abovyan. It is named after the Kotayk canton of the historic Ayrarat province o ...

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...

History

Kotayk Brewery was founded in 1974, as a state-owned enterprise by the government of the

Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic,; russian: Армянская Советская Социалистическая Республика, translit=Armyanskaya Sovetskaya Sotsialisticheskaya Respublika) also commonly referred to as Soviet A ...

, with a limited scale of production. After the completion of the entire equipment, the factory started large-scale production in 1978. After the

dissolution of the Soviet Union The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...

Gagik Tsarukyan Gagik Tsarukyan ( hy, Գագիկ Ծառուկյան; born 25 November 1956) is an Armenian businessman, politician, and former athlete. Tsarukyan is the founder and leader of the Prosperous Armenia political party. He also owns various large-scal ...

took over the brewery in 1995 and started to produce beer under the brands ''Kotayk'' and ''Artsakh''. In 1997,

Castel Group Castel Group (French Groupe Castel) is a French beverage company. It was established in 1949 by Pierre Castel, who continues to run the company as a family-owned concern. Castel is the largest French wine producer and owns the biggest French an ...

became the major shareholders of the brewery through an investment of US$17 million, being one of the earliest foreign investors in Armenia. In March 2006, Tsarukyan sold his 29% share in the brewery to

for US$4 million.''Press Review''
Armenia Liberty (RFE/RL), March 30, 2006. However, the company was sold back to Gagik Tsarukyan's Multi Group Concern in June 2011, to become a

limited liability company A limited liability company (LLC for short) is the US-specific form of a private limited company. It is a business structure that can combine the pass-through taxation of a partnership or sole proprietorship with the limited liability of a ...

Production

The brewery produces six varieties of beer: *Kotayk Gold (alc. 4.7%) *Kotayk Lager (alc. 4.2%) *Kotayk Tshani (alc. 4.5%) *Erebuni Strong (alc. 6.4%) *Erebuni (alc. 4.7%) *Urartu (alc. 4%)

References

External links

KOTAYK Brewery's Official websiteA review
{{Alcoholic drinks Beer in Armenia Drink companies of the Soviet Union Food and drink companies established in 1974 Beer brands Armenian brands 1974 establishments in Armenia