Russian Bear is one of the most popular vodka brands in South Africa (as any South African who loves a good pre-drink can attest to) however, the brand is reportedly not in any way associated with Russia.
As the world well knows, Russian troops recently invaded Ukraine after President Vladimir Putin declared a ‘military operation’ in a televised address on Wednesday, 23 February.
The conflict between the two nations will have a huge impact on the global economy at a time when we are still emerging from the COVID pandemic, and so many developing countries were hoping for space to recover their already struggling economies.
Looking at the impact, some thoughts turned to the alcohol industry – hence the focus on Russian Bear.
The Russian Bear Vodka brand was founded by former Durban mayor Edward Shell in 1848 and is produced locally, reports News24. There are now many concerns regarding the trade between Russia and South Africa.
According to CNN, all Russian-made alcohol is now being targeted due to the invasion of Ukraine. Officials in Ohio, Utah, and New Hampshire have asked all liquor stores to remove any Russian-made or Russian-branded products from their shelves.
However, this shouldn’t be the case for Russian Bear as it is simply a South African product, owned by the wholesale wine and spirit merchant company.
“Our Russian Bear vodka brand has absolutely no affiliation or link to Russia whatsoever. It is 100% locally owned and produced. We don’t anticipate any effect on sales which may result from any miss-association,” a spokesperson for Edward Snell & Co. told Fin24 on Monday, 28 February 2022.
None of the brands produced by Edward Snell is imported from Russia as its production takes place at a facility in Johannesburg.
Russian Bear Vodka has indeed set the bar for its vodka for several decades and has won a number of local and international accolades, stated the Russian Bear website.
All Russian Bear vodka is triple distilled for absolute purity to ensure it delivers the highest quality standards.
