In the face of European Union sanctions and the logistical challenges of Asian imports, Russia has begun importing beer from the Dominican Republic. The move comes as a response to the increased cost of European beers due to sanctions related to the Ukraine conflict.
According to Russian daily Kommersant, the importing company Mirovoi Trader has secured a license to bring in ‘Presidente’ brand beer from the Cervecería Nacional Dominicana.
Kommersant explains that the tenfold increase in duties on beer from “unfriendly” countries is pushing Russian importers to diversify their supply channels. The Russia media says that distributors are planning to start importing products from the Dominican Republic that cost less.
Kommersant reported the alcohol importer, Mirovaya Trader has already received a declaration of conformity for beer under the Presidente and Presidente Light brands, produced by Cerveceria Nacional Dominicana, a Brazilian multinational. The drinks will be imported in containers of up to 0.5 liters, as well as in kegs of up to 50 liters, purchased mainly by catering companies.
Volkovskaya Brewery CEO Alexey Aksel believes that beer supplies from the Dominican Republic and other exotic countries are more of a forced decision due to the increase in import duties.
It is yet to be seen if Presidente beer will be able to fully replace the more expensive beer from the European Union. The expensive logistics to import the beer from the Dominican Republic is unlikely to enable significant savings on costs.
In a follow up, N Digital reports that the spokesperson for Cerveceria Nacional Dominicana says that the company does not have any relations with the would-be importers of Presidente beer to Russia. Ana María Martínez, legal director and head of corporate affairs at CND, told N Digital that they were surprised when reading the news about the alleged export of Presidente beer to Russia.
Read more:
El Dia
Kommersant
N Digital
12 March 2025