29 employees of the brewery “Valmiermuižas alus” have received a downtime allowance, as well as the brewery has received permission to defer payment of taxes, its owner Aigars Ruņģis said.
“Valmiermuižas alus uses state support for the companies affected by Covid-19. 29 of our employees receive a downtime allowance, and we have also received permission to defer taxes. We also received approval for the development financial institution Altum loan that would be necessary, “said Ruņģis.
Commenting on the company’s success during the emergency, Ruņģis said that the turnover of “Valmiermuižas alus” in April has decreased by 35% compared to April 2019.
He also said that “Valmiermuižas alus” has implemented strict security measures in the brewery. “Everyone who can work remotely works from home. In the brewery, brewing is divided into two shifts so that people do not meet each other. We have also canceled all excursions in the brewery,” said Ruņģis.
He noted that, taking into account the regulation during the emergency, “Valmiermuižas alus” has established an online store that provides deliveries to any address in Latvia. It is planned to start deliveries in Europe by the end of May.
Also, taking into account the changes caused by Covid-19 in the Latvian and European markets, “Valmiermuižas alus” evaluates the possibilities to produce new types of beer that could replace beer imports. Among other things, three “Kokmuižas” non-alcoholic lines have been created in the “Valmiermuižas alus” workshop in order to offer an alternative to imported non-alcoholic beer made in Latvia.
“At the expense of quality, we have never saved and do not intend to do so, so now we are seriously re-evaluating our investment plans for the next two years,” said Rangis.
He also noted that the most difficult period in this crisis is already behind us, as more and more restaurants and bars are gradually reopening in May, as well as people are allowed to travel between the Baltic States. Thus, the kitchen of “Valmiermuižas alus” will resume work from Friday, May 22.
The company was previously informed that the turnover of “Valmiermuižas alus” in 2019 was 5.7 million euros, which is 6.2% more than a year earlier.
Valmiermuižas alus was registered in June 2005 and its share capital is 1.397 million euros. The sole owner of the company is Valmiermuiža Investment Fund, in which Ruņģis owns 60%, the Austrian investment fund Industrieliegenschaftenvervaltungs AG (ILAG) holds 24% and the German company Thinkflink GmbH holds 16%.
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