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Amber Beverage Group (ABG) today announces that it has appointed the Espiritus Group as its sales and marketing partner in the United States for Riga Black Balsam®. The agreement affirms ABG’s commitment to growing distribution of the famous herbal bitters brand in the world’s largest bitters market.
Amber Beverage Group, a leading producer, distributor, logistics provider and retailer of beverages, has partnered with the Espiritus Group to manage its Riga Black Balsam brand. ABG owns several other core brands sold in the United States, including Moskovskaya® Vodka, Rooster Rojo® tequila, KAH® Tequila and Cosmopolitan Diva®.
ABG’s Chief Marketing Officer and Managing Director USA and Latin America, Pepijn Janssens, says, “For quite some time now we have seen the sales of Riga Black Balsam grow in the USA, however we haven’t been able to give it the full support we felt it needed until now. Therefore, it gives me great pleasure to announce our partnership with the team at Espiritus which will definitely allow us to take the brand to the next level in the US.”
Riga Black Balsam’s Global Brand Director, Maris Kalnins, adds, “The US is the largest premium bitter market in the world, showing positive year on year growth for several years in a row. The latest forecasts show that the segment increase will continue growing over the next few years. We know that consumers are ready to pay more for new experiences, for natural products, for products with a great heritage and for mixable brands. Riga Black Balsam represents all of these market and consumer trends in just one original clay bottle; a premium product, crafted from all-natural ingredients which can easily be enjoyed in a number of ways and with a proud heritage of more than 265 years.”
Espiritus Partner and Vice President of Sales, Daniel Olech, says, “We are confident that Riga Black Balsam's rich history and superb quality presents a unique brand proposition within the liqueur category as one of the oldest and most respected bitter brands in the world. We are planning on growing the nationwide footprint of the Riga Black Balsam brand over the next two years.”
The Riga Black Balsam line of herbal liqueurs was founded in Latvia, in the Baltics, in 1752 and is its most famous spirit. Riga Black Balsam is available in over 30 countries; in 2018 the brand was launched in the UK and USA. Also, in the range are Riga Black Balsam XO version, Riga Black Balsam Black Currant, Riga Black Balsam Cherry and Riga Black Balsam Espresso. Riga Black Balsam has won more than 100 awards in international competitions.
Amber Beverage Group is a holding company that has grown from its original core production business established in 1900, to become the global company that unites over 2,100 employees in almost 20 companies across four continents. ABG operates internationally from head office in Luxembourg through its production and distribution companies in Russia, Mexico, UK, Australia, Austria and the Baltics. It is a leading producer, distributor, logistic provider and retailer of alcoholic beverages.
The Espiritus Group was founded in 2014 by industry pioneer Jay Maltby who was previously Chairman of Cruzan Rum and Co-Founder of Angel's Envy Bourbon and Papa's Pilar Rum. Espiritus is a premium spirits marketing and sales brand development platform, with a team consisting of over 20 sales team members, brand ambassadors and brand marketers, who oversee a portfolio spirits brands and work through retailers and front line distributors across all 50 states in the US. Current brands in the Espiritus portfolio include: Berentzen Liqueurs®, Chareau Aloe Liqueur®, SelvaRey Rum®, Corner Creek Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey® and The Fighting 69th Irish Whiskey®.