Native name | Союзплодоимпорт |
---|---|
Company type | Federal enterprise |
Founded | 2002 |
Founder | The Government of the Russian Federation |
Website | http://www.spimport.ru/ |
Soyuzplodoimport ( Russian: Союзплодоимпорт, lit. 'Union-fruit-import') is a company based in Moscow. It owns the trademarks of different types of vodka, including the Stolichnaya and Moskovskaya brands. [1] The company also markets canned herrings under its Stolichnaya brand as part of a partnership with Russian Sea Group. [2]
Soyuzplodoimport was established in 1966 to import food items, including cocoa beans, coffee, spices and vegetables, and to export vodka. [3] The company was not privatized, and remained under state ownership in the post-Soviet era. [3]
In 1997, its then-president Yuri Shefler formed a new private company, Soyuzplodimport (almost the same name as the government-owned company, minus an 'o'). [4] The new private entity then purchased some of Russia's main vodka brands from the government-owned Soyuzplodoimport for $300,000. [4] An investigation by the Audit Commission valued the trademarks at $400 million, and in October 2001 a Russian court ruled Soyuzplodoimport was illegally privatized, and restored 17 vodka brands under its ownership. [4]
In 2015, Soyuzplodoimport managed to win court cases against Shefler and regain control of the brand in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, but the decision was not final. [5]
Since 2003 the Federal Enterprise Soyuzplodoimport has been working to restore the rights of the Russian Federation to the «Stolichnaya», «Moskovskaya» and other trademarks around the world.
Native name | Союзплодоимпорт |
---|---|
Company type | Federal enterprise |
Founded | 2002 |
Founder | The Government of the Russian Federation |
Website | http://www.spimport.ru/ |
Soyuzplodoimport ( Russian: Союзплодоимпорт, lit. 'Union-fruit-import') is a company based in Moscow. It owns the trademarks of different types of vodka, including the Stolichnaya and Moskovskaya brands. [1] The company also markets canned herrings under its Stolichnaya brand as part of a partnership with Russian Sea Group. [2]
Soyuzplodoimport was established in 1966 to import food items, including cocoa beans, coffee, spices and vegetables, and to export vodka. [3] The company was not privatized, and remained under state ownership in the post-Soviet era. [3]
In 1997, its then-president Yuri Shefler formed a new private company, Soyuzplodimport (almost the same name as the government-owned company, minus an 'o'). [4] The new private entity then purchased some of Russia's main vodka brands from the government-owned Soyuzplodoimport for $300,000. [4] An investigation by the Audit Commission valued the trademarks at $400 million, and in October 2001 a Russian court ruled Soyuzplodoimport was illegally privatized, and restored 17 vodka brands under its ownership. [4]
In 2015, Soyuzplodoimport managed to win court cases against Shefler and regain control of the brand in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, but the decision was not final. [5]
Since 2003 the Federal Enterprise Soyuzplodoimport has been working to restore the rights of the Russian Federation to the «Stolichnaya», «Moskovskaya» and other trademarks around the world.