APRV approved the draft development plan until 2024 and accepted an honorary member into its ranks

On December 23, 2021, the next general meeting of the members of the Association of Producers of "Russian Vodka" (APRV) was held, the participants of which accepted a representative of Rospatent as honorary members of the Association and approved the draft development plan of the APRV until 2024.

The meeting was attended by the heads and representatives of nine member companies of the Association: Federal State Enterprise "Soyuzplodoimport", JSC "Rosspirtprom", LLC "Bryanskspirtprom", LLC "Russian Standard Vodka", PJSC "Beluga Group", JSC "PG "Ladoga", LLC "Siberian Vodka Company", JSC "Buturlinovsky Distillery" and Rosalkogolregulirovanie.

Vladislav Spirin, a resident of APRV, opening the general meeting, introduced the Deputy Head of the Federal Service for Intellectual Property (Rospatent) to the participants Victoria Galkovskaya, whose candidacy was proposed by Rospatent as an honorary member of the Association. The General Meeting, guided by the provisions of the Charter providing for Honorary membership for representatives of executive authorities, approved the proposed candidacy unanimously.

The meeting participants approved the main activities of the Association for the medium term: It was noted that all the activities included in the Association's development plan, finalized taking into account previously expressed suggestions and comments, until 2024, are very important for Russian Vodka. Russian Russian Vodka has received great support for the idea of working out the issue of providing discounts on alcohol as a measure of additional economic motivation for the production of Russian vodka, as well as the Association's participation in expert confirmation of the special properties of Russian vodka when issuing conclusions by the authorized body.

To create mechanisms for promoting Russian vodka on the market, as a high-quality product made by the traditional method from natural raw materials, it is necessary to separate it from the turnover of other vodkas, including visually for the consumer on the shelf in the store, therefore, the extreme importance of introducing special labeling for vodka of the members of the APRV, which will be a guarantee not only high quality and authenticity, but also a high tasting rating. Andrey Zaitsev, representing Bryanskspirtprom LLC at the event, appealed to APRV with a proposal to conduct an experiment on the introduction of such a special marking at the plant's facilities.

Half of the world's vodka sales go to international markets outside the countries of the former Soviet Union. The key sales regions are America, Europe, Brazil and India. The vodka market was formed on Russian and Soviet vodka, and therefore in the minds of consumers around the world is "tied" to Russia. However, the perception of vodka as a native Russian product is used by companies that are not related to Russia: 15 vodka top brands in international markets have an association with Russia, although they are not produced by Russian companies, but by companies registered in the UK, USA, Brazil, France, Germany, Bermuda, South Africa. Such vodka takes a share from domestic producers in foreign markets, unreasonably exploiting the designations culturally, historically and geographically associated with Russia and the Russian people in the name of its products.

In order to promote real Russian vodka in foreign markets, the modernization of the official website of the APRV was approved, implying the creation of a single multilingual portal supporting the export supplies of all participants of the APRV. The information on the website in the official language of the countries to which the products are exported will be focused on the high quality and the country of origin of the products presented.

To ensure legal protection at the international level, registration of the geographical indication (GU) Russian Vodka" on the territory of the countries that are the main world vodka markets will continue. And the upcoming presentation of Russian vodka on the site of the All-Russian Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) will create high prerequisites for its international registration through WIPO, after Russia's accession to the Lisbon Agreement on the Protection of Appellations of Origin (NMPT).

The General Meeting supported the increase of media activity of the APRV aimed at increasing the status and significance of the NMPT "Russian Vodka", as well as consolidating the actions of all members of the Association to identify counterfeit products on the market.

The next General Meeting of the APRW participants is scheduled for the 1st quarter of 2022.