A. Le Coq

Estonia

A. Le Coq is an Estonian brewery founded in 1807 by the Le Coq family, now Estonia's oldest brewery and its largest beverage producer. Based in Tartu, where the company relocated in 1904, the range spans more than ten product categories including beers, ciders, long drinks, soft drinks and fruit wines. Its alcohol-free beers are produced via vacuum technology, meaning they are brewed at full strength before the alcohol is removed.

The A. Le Coq brand was revived in 1999 following acquisition by the Finnish company Olvi in the late 1990s, and 1998 saw the most modern brewery in the Baltic States established at the Tartu site. The company is currently the beverage producer with the widest product portfolio in the Baltic Sea region.

A. Le Coq's history beyond beer stretches back to 1899, when it became the first producer in Estonia to industrially manufacture soft drinks. The company also developed an octagonal bottle design recognised as one of Estonia's first food industry trademarks, and in 1973 the brewery was granted the status of an experimental brewery.

The alcohol-free range covers lagers and ready-to-drink cocktail formats, with some beers using Pilsner malt and Bohemian hops. Production involves cooling, sedimentation, silicagel treatment and diatomaceous earth filtration. The cocktail formats are positioned for a wide audience, including sober-curious drinkers. A. Le Coq exports to over 70 countries, including established markets across Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania and the United Kingdom, and entered the Hong Kong market in 2018.

At a Glance