Vodka brand Khorta may change owner

The Khorta vodka brand from the portfolio of the Traditions of Success group of companies, whose top management is being investigated in a criminal case, may change its owner. A structure associated with the Yaroslavl Distillery intends to register the brand, possibly by agreement with the original manufacturer. Khorta remains among the top three most popular vodka brands, but has already begun to lose ground without investment, market participants say.

Brand LLC, which owns the brands of the Yaroslavl Distillery (YALVZ), filed applications for registration of the brands “Khorta” and “Lesnaya” in the class of alcoholic beverages, “Kommersant” was found in the data of Rospatent. Applications were submitted in August-September 2023 and are now undergoing examination, the service’s materials say.

The “Brand” owns the brands Beringoff, Len, Tolga, and Medovka, which are produced at YALVZ. The plant’s capacity is 2.5 million decaliters per year. According to SPARK, 50% of Brand is owned by Marina Mosyakina and Stroyenergoaktiv LLC, controlled by Elena Krylova. Ms. Krylova also owns Energocapital LLC, which owned 50% of YALVZ LLC in 2018–2019, according to SPARK. Today, the structure of the plant, according to the Unified State Register of Legal Entities, belongs to Evgeniy Komissarov, Ekaterina Kogteva and Alexander Mosyakin. Contacts for “Brand” could not be found; YALVZ “Kommersant” did not respond.

Khorta vodka was launched in 2022 by the Traditions of Success Group of Companies, which includes the Russian Sever and Rodnik and K factories. The launch of the brand was required after the termination of the licenses of the Global Spirits holding company to produce Khortytsya vodka, Kommersant was told in the group. Kommersant’s interlocutors previously connected these enterprises with Global Spirits, but the parties denied this. Rodnik and K also owns the Lesnaya brand, which is on the label of Lesnaya Morosha vodka. The Traditions of Success Group of Companies did not answer Kommersant.

In the summer of 2023, a criminal case was opened in the Russian Federation against the owner of Global Spirits, Evgeniy Chernyak, on suspicion of financing the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The owner of Russian North and Rodnik and K, Alexander Bespalov, and the general director of Rodnik and K, Andrei Lazutin, have been charged with bribery (see Kommersant on July 4). In January-August, these factories reduced vodka production by 40% year-on-year, to 2.67 million decaliters (see Kommersant on September 28).

Kommersant’s interlocutor in the alcohol market also knows that YALVZ can receive the Khorta brand and other brands of the group. According to him, the plant is already distributing these drinks. YALVZ already produces Lesnaya Morosha vodka, and in September, according to data from the Federal Accreditation Agency, it received a declaration for the production of Khorta.

The owner of the Kaufman brand agency, Stanislav Kaufman, says that if YALVZ retains the previous distribution channels for Horta and other brands, it will most likely try to “attach brands” with the consent of the original manufacturers. If the plant itself begins to build distribution from scratch, then we can talk about an attempt to launch “a new product similar to a popular brand,” he points out.

Rodnik and K did not register the Horta brand, but in 2022 received the rights to a similar brand, Hort. The head of the intellectual property practice of the Intellectual Capital firm, Vasily Zuev, notes that the Brand will either need to obtain the consent of Rodnik and K, or terminate the legal protection of the trademark. General Director of Online Patent Alina Akinshina notes that difficulties may arise due to the existing series of Khortytsya trademarks. The managing partner of the Genesis law firm says that the registration of a brand can be terminated early by a court decision if the copyright holder does not use the brand in business for more than three years.

According to Kommersant’s interlocutor at the market, in August Khorta ranked third in vodka sales in chains, but has already begun to lose ground. “Either there are few goods, or there is no money for investment,” indicates a Kommersant source. President of Ladoga (Tsarskaya vodka) Veniamin Grabar does not believe in the future of the project, given the complexity of the situation around Global Spirits. And CIFRRA director Vadim Drobiz notes that sales will depend on the willingness of the networks to work with the brand, since Khorta can be easily replaced.

Anatoly Kostyrev