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Ursus (beer)
Encyclopedia
Ursus Breweries, a subsidiary of SABMiller
plc, is one of the top brewers in Romania
. The company is based in Bucharest
and owns 4 breweries in Cluj-Napoca
, Timişoara
, Buzau
and Braşov
, employing over 1,700 people. Ursus Breweries’ brands are: Ursus
, Timisoreana
, Ciucas, Azuga
, Stejar, Redd's, Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Pilsner Urquell
and Miller
.
Ursus is one of the best-selling beer
s in Romania
. The beer is advertised under the slogan Regele berii în România ("The King of Beers in Romania"). It is brewed in Cluj-Napoca
.
, which is now part of Cluj-Napoca. The company and the beer gained its name in 1927 when it demerged from Frigyes Czell si Fiii Grupa Dr. Wilhelm Czell SA, a large brewery group at the time. The brewery was nationalised in 1948, but privatised again during the 1990s, when SABMiller
gained full control over the company.
In 1996 South African Breweries purchased Vulturul Buzau
and, in 1997, Pitber Pitești and URSUS S.A. Cluj-Napoca
. In 1998 Vulturul and Pitber became URSUS S.A. In 2001 URSUS S.A. purchased Bere Timișoreana S.A. In 2005 the company changed its name to Ursus Breweries S.A. In 2009 Ursus Breweries S.A. purchased Bere Azuga S.A.
After slowly removing the 'Cluj' name from the Ursus beer label, Ursus Breweries announced on November 18, 2010 that it will close the Ursus brewery in Cluj-Napoca due to high costs and lower demand. The Cluj-Napoca brewery is the place where Ursus has been bottled for more than 100 years.
Expedition.
Ursus was the main sponsor of the Romanian top football league
between December 19, 1998 and the end of the 2003/2004 season.
Starting with the 2006/2007 season, Ursus Breweries became the main sponsor of Cupa României and changed the cup name to promote their Timişoreana
beer brand.
, owners of Ursus, started replacing the name of the city "Cluj" with "Premium" on their beer labels. Cluj will still be mentioned on the back of the premium bottle. Ursus Breweries representatives say that the label was changed after research studies made in Cluj showed that the most important visual element for consumers is the beer's description, which in Ursus's case is premium, black, or non-alcoholic.
SABMiller
SABMiller plc is a global brewing and bottling company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's second-largest brewing company measured by revenues and is also a major bottler of Coca-Cola. Its brands include Grolsch, Miller Genuine Draft, Peroni Nastro Azzurro and Pilsner Urquell...
plc, is one of the top brewers in Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. The company is based in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
and owns 4 breweries in Cluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca , commonly known as Cluj, is the fourth most populous city in Romania and the seat of Cluj County in the northwestern part of the country. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest , Budapest and Belgrade...
, Timişoara
Timisoara
Timișoara is the capital city of Timiș County, in western Romania. One of the largest Romanian cities, with an estimated population of 311,586 inhabitants , and considered the informal capital city of the historical region of Banat, Timișoara is the main social, economic and cultural center in the...
, Buzau
Buzau
The city of Buzău is the county seat of Buzău County, Romania, in the historical region of Wallachia. It lies near the right bank of the Buzău River, between the south-eastern curvature of the Carpathian Mountains and the lowlands of Bărăgan Plain.The city's name dates back to 376 AD when the name...
and Braşov
Brasov
Brașov is a city in Romania and the capital of Brașov County.According to the last Romanian census, from 2002, there were 284,596 people living within the city of Brașov, making it the 8th most populated city in Romania....
, employing over 1,700 people. Ursus Breweries’ brands are: Ursus
Ursus (beer)
Ursus Breweries, a subsidiary of SABMiller plc, is one of the top brewers in Romania. The company is based in Bucharest and owns 4 breweries in Cluj-Napoca, Timişoara, Buzau and Braşov, employing over 1,700 people...
, Timisoreana
Timisoreana
Timişoreana is a brand of beer in Romania.- History :The first brewery of Timisoreana was built in 1718 to Timişoara. In 2001 it was bought by Ursus Breweries company, part of the international group SABMiller. On November 25, 2005 Timişoreana sponsored the city of Timişoara with 60,000 dollars for...
, Ciucas, Azuga
Azuga
Azuga is a small resort town nestled in the mountains of Prahova county in the Wallachian region of Romania. Azuga is located at the foot of the Bucegi mountains, and contains the longest ski run in Romania, the Sorica - together with other ski slopes...
, Stejar, Redd's, Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Pilsner Urquell
Pilsner Urquell
Plzeňský Prazdroj , known better by its German name Pilsner Urquell , is a bottom-fermented beer produced since 1842 in Pilsen, part of today's Czech Republic. Pilsner Urquell was the first pilsner beer in the world...
and Miller
Miller
A miller usually refers to a person who operates a mill, a machine to grind a cereal crop to make flour. Milling is among the oldest of human occupations. "Miller", "Milne" and other variants are common surnames, as are their equivalents in other languages around the world...
.
Ursus is one of the best-selling beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
s in Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. The beer is advertised under the slogan Regele berii în România ("The King of Beers in Romania"). It is brewed in Cluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca , commonly known as Cluj, is the fourth most populous city in Romania and the seat of Cluj County in the northwestern part of the country. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest , Budapest and Belgrade...
.
History
The first legal predecessor of the company was founded in 1878 in MănăşturManastur
Mănăştur is a district of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca, built during Nicolae Ceauşescu's systematisation programme on the site of an older settlement. Its population as of 2007 is approximately 126,600...
, which is now part of Cluj-Napoca. The company and the beer gained its name in 1927 when it demerged from Frigyes Czell si Fiii Grupa Dr. Wilhelm Czell SA, a large brewery group at the time. The brewery was nationalised in 1948, but privatised again during the 1990s, when SABMiller
SABMiller
SABMiller plc is a global brewing and bottling company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's second-largest brewing company measured by revenues and is also a major bottler of Coca-Cola. Its brands include Grolsch, Miller Genuine Draft, Peroni Nastro Azzurro and Pilsner Urquell...
gained full control over the company.
In 1996 South African Breweries purchased Vulturul Buzau
Buzau
The city of Buzău is the county seat of Buzău County, Romania, in the historical region of Wallachia. It lies near the right bank of the Buzău River, between the south-eastern curvature of the Carpathian Mountains and the lowlands of Bărăgan Plain.The city's name dates back to 376 AD when the name...
and, in 1997, Pitber Pitești and URSUS S.A. Cluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca , commonly known as Cluj, is the fourth most populous city in Romania and the seat of Cluj County in the northwestern part of the country. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest , Budapest and Belgrade...
. In 1998 Vulturul and Pitber became URSUS S.A. In 2001 URSUS S.A. purchased Bere Timișoreana S.A. In 2005 the company changed its name to Ursus Breweries S.A. In 2009 Ursus Breweries S.A. purchased Bere Azuga S.A.
After slowly removing the 'Cluj' name from the Ursus beer label, Ursus Breweries announced on November 18, 2010 that it will close the Ursus brewery in Cluj-Napoca due to high costs and lower demand. The Cluj-Napoca brewery is the place where Ursus has been bottled for more than 100 years.
Sponsorship
In 2003, Ursus sponsored a Romanian EverestMount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
Expedition.
Ursus was the main sponsor of the Romanian top football league
Liga I
Liga I, or in full, due to sponsorship reasons, Liga I Bergenbier, is the top division of the Romanian football league system. Before the 2006/2007 season, it was called Divizia A, but the name had to be changed following the discovery that someone else had registered the trademark "Divizia A"...
between December 19, 1998 and the end of the 2003/2004 season.
Starting with the 2006/2007 season, Ursus Breweries became the main sponsor of Cupa României and changed the cup name to promote their Timişoreana
Timisoreana
Timişoreana is a brand of beer in Romania.- History :The first brewery of Timisoreana was built in 1718 to Timişoara. In 2001 it was bought by Ursus Breweries company, part of the international group SABMiller. On November 25, 2005 Timişoreana sponsored the city of Timişoara with 60,000 dollars for...
beer brand.
New label
In 2009 SABMillerSABMiller
SABMiller plc is a global brewing and bottling company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's second-largest brewing company measured by revenues and is also a major bottler of Coca-Cola. Its brands include Grolsch, Miller Genuine Draft, Peroni Nastro Azzurro and Pilsner Urquell...
, owners of Ursus, started replacing the name of the city "Cluj" with "Premium" on their beer labels. Cluj will still be mentioned on the back of the premium bottle. Ursus Breweries representatives say that the label was changed after research studies made in Cluj showed that the most important visual element for consumers is the beer's description, which in Ursus's case is premium, black, or non-alcoholic.