Obolon Joint Stock Company is a major Ukrainian producer of beverages: beer, low alcohol drinks (cocktails), soda drinks and locally extracted natural mineral water, as well as a major malt producer. Based in Kyiv, Obolon JSC has sites across Ukraine and employs several thousand people.
Obolon's main plant in Kyiv is the largest brewing facility in Europe by installed capacity. As of 2008, that facility was Europe's largest single beer manufacturer in terms of physical volume.[1] Obolon's plant in Khmelnytskyi Oblast is the largest malting facility in Europe by installed capacity.[2]
History
The company's main brewery was built in 1980 based on designs made by Czech engineers, near an artesian well in Kyiv's Obolon district. Initially called 'Kyiv brewery #3', it was renamed 'Obolon' in 1986. In 1992, Obolon became the first privatized company in independent Ukraine and registered its corporate brand Obolon. The shares of company stock were distributed among its employees. In 1993, Obolon changed its legal status to a closed joint-stock company (currently it is a private joint stock company under present legislation).