Sales of cider in Russia grew by 30% in the first quarter

Retail sales of cider, mead and poiret (pear cider) in the first quarter of 2023 grew by 30% year-on-year to 2.05 million decalitres, according to the Unified State Automated Information System (EGAIS). This trend is confirmed by the analytical company NielsenIQ. They calculated that in monetary terms, sales of cider in the first three months of this year increased by 57%, and in physical terms – by 54.1%. The company did not provide absolute numbers. Earlier, Kommersant reported that in the first two months of 2023, cider sales volumes grew by 60% year-on-year and exceeded the retail sales of low-alcohol cocktails.

Drinks like cider are becoming more and more popular, says Igor Khavsky, co-owner of the Gletcher brewery. He explains such a significant increase in sales with a low base – a small volume of production of this drink as a whole, against which double-digit growth figures are obtained. Igor Karavaev, Chairman of the Presidium of the Association of Retail Trade Companies, also speaks about the low base effect. “Definitely, the stability of the trend towards the growing popularity of low-alcohol drinks, including cider and mead, cannot be confirmed,” the expert sums up.