History of Zagorka
In 1902 the joint-stock company "Future" or "Beer" opened its doors, as then all the people of Stara Zagora called Dr. Kozhuharov's brewery. After a decade, the brewery was bought by the trade and industrial company "Trakia", created on the idea of Stara Zagora Nikola and Zlati Zlatevi, who modernize and equip the brewery with new machines and installations.
In 1918 - the first Bulgarian master brewer Andrey Brashovanov, graduated from the brewing school in Grima, Germany, began working in the brewery of the Zlatevi brothers. He became one of the established specialists-brewers in the country. He published the first Bulgarian textbook on brewing and led training courses for brewers.
In 1949, thanks to Andrei Brashovanov, repairs began in the ZAGORKA brewery and after it was completed, the first hectoliters of beer called Zagorka were produced.
In an effort to always offer high quality products and to modernize production processes, ZAGORKA is the first to automatically label and close its bottles of Zagorka beer with a metal crown cork. Previously, this process was done manually. The company realized the first advertising campaign in the whole country, in radio, press and distribution of an advertising poster of Zagorka beer. Zagorka Brewery is the first company to develop and adopt 20 measures for product quality management and the first to install a line for filling beer in metal packaging - ken.
In 1994, Zagorka joined the global family of HEINEKEN - the brewery with the largest international presence in the world. ZAGORKA realizes many innovations, which builds the image of an innovative company that integrates the corporate cultural model of HEINEKEN in its business strategy.
In 1997, Ariana Brewery, part of the former Sofia Beer, was acquired by ZAGORKA and a few years later the production of Ariana beer was moved to Stara Zagora.
ZAGORKA is the first enterprise in the sector of food and beverage industry and the first brewing company from Central and Eastern Europe, certified according to the international standard ISO 9002.
The first beer museum opened its doors in 2009 in the ZAGORKA brewery for visitors, providing an opportunity for beer fans to experience a unique experience - a tour of the steps of the production process, combined with a museum collection that presents the history of the company.
The green image of the company is built on its long-term efforts to do its business with responsibility and care for the environment. 2013 - Zagorka AD was awarded the prize of the Ministry of Environment and Water "Green Business". In the same year ZAGORKA opened its green warehouse for finished products on the territory. The green warehouse is certified by the world-renowned method for assessing the environmental performance of buildings of any type - BREEAM, and is the first green industrial building in our country.
Over the years ZAGORKA presents on the market exceptional product innovations under the brands Zagorka, Ariana, Heineken, Stolichno, in its quest to respond and excite the taste of the Bulgarian consumer.
Today brewery ZAGORKA is a symbol of the city of Stara Zagora, a company with a reputation as a responsible and caring corporate citizen. A good employer who strives to develop his talented people, not only in the country, but also in the international family of HEINEKEN.
History of HEINEKEN
In 1864, Gerard Adrian Heineken bought the largest brewery in the region, The Haystack in Amsterdam, and only a few years later a new brewery was built on the Stadhouderskade to meet growing consumption.
HEINEKEN's entrepreneurial spirit and innovative thinking, which are still stimulated in the company, makes it one of the first to introduce cooling systems in its brewery.
In 1886, Dr. Elyon developed the A-yeast, which imparts the characteristic aroma of the Heineken beer brand. And a few years later, at the World's Fair in Paris, HEINEKEN presented its new brand, which for the first time depicted the iconic five-pointed star. Each beam reflects the four main ingredients of beer - water, barley, hops and yeast, and the fifth is a symbol of the magic that HEINEKEN brewers use in making beer.
Another iconic period in the history of HEINEKEN is the acquisition of a majority stake in the company by Alfred Heineken, who is making a radical modernization. With his passion for the brand and marketing, he realized a number of innovations. HEINEKEN orders 50,000 bottles that are specially adapted for reuse. Heineken's first television commercial was aired. HEINEKEN acquires Amstel, its largest competitor in the Netherlands. He opened a new brewery in Zoeterwoude - the largest and most modern brewery in Europe at the time, and in 1991 the Stadhouderskade brewery was transformed into the Heineken Museum, which was later renamed the Heineken Experience.
In 1999 in the Netherlands, Heineken was named "Brand of the Century" and Alfred Henry Heineken was named "Creator of Advertising of the Century".
The Heineken Africa Foundation, established in 2009, supports the improvement and provision of healthy conditions for Sub-Saharan African people.
Today, HEINEKEN is the brewery with the largest international presence in the world, offering more than 300 international and local brands of beer and cider. The group of companies employs over 85,000 enthusiastic people from 190 different countries.