Beer production at Budweiser Budvar, which has been in a long legal dispute with U.S. giant Anheuser-Busch over use of the “Budweiser” brand, increased last year to the highest level in the brewer’s 124-year history.
Budejovicky Budvar NP, a Czech state-owned brewery, said that its output rose 4.8% to 1.679 million hectoliters (44.36 million gallons) in 2019, before the pandemic hit global trade and business.
The brewer’s exports were up 7.4% to 1.154 million hectoliters (30.49 million gallons) last year, also a record, to almost 80 countries. Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Russia and Britain were the biggest foreign markets for Budvar last year.
Budvar says its revenues hit a record high last year, reaching more than 2.8 billion crowns ($119 million). The profit figures have not been released.
The brewer has been expanding to be able to produce over 2 billion hectoliters of beer a year.
