Carlsberg Polska is the Polish subsidiary of the Danish multinational brewing company Carlsberg. Carlsberg has 1/3 control of the Okocim Group, which included the Okocim Brewery, in 2004.[1]
The Okocim Brewery was founded in 1845.[3] Carlsberg beer was imported into Poland until Carlsberg acquired a stake in the Okocim Brewery in 1997 in exchange for giving Okocim a license to produce Carlsberg.
Carlsberg expanded its presence in Poland in 2001 by becoming a majority shareholder of Okocim and purchasing the Bosman,[4] Kasztelan and Piast breweries; the operation was named the Carlsberg Okocim Group. The Carlsberg brand was re-launched that year and became the fastest growing international brand in Poland, with a sales increase of 671%.[citation needed]
In 2004 Carlsberg purchased the remaining shares of Okocim and renamed the group, Carlsberg Polska. Carlsberg Polska is a 100% owned subsidiary of the Carlsberg Group and is the third largest brewing company in the Polish beer market, which is one of the world's top 10 by volume.[citation needed]
Okocim Brewery was established in 1845 by Johann Evangelist Götz,[1] who was born in Wirtemberg in 1815. His son Jan Albin expanded the family business, married a Polish aristocrat, and changed his name to Goetz-Okocimski. In 1945 the brewery was nationalised, then reprivatised in the 1990s.[5] Carlsberg first acquired an interest in 1996, eventually acquiring 1/3 control.[1]
Brands produced are mainly pale lagers of varying strengths ranging from 0.5% abv to 7% and include Carlsberg, O.K. Beer, Signature, Mocne, and Karmi. The brewery produces two dark lagers, Palone (5.5%) and Porter (8.3%).[citation needed]
