PRESS RELEASE

On Monday, October 4, all Christmas must lovers who don't want to wait until Christmas can finally quench their thirst. That's because it's the sales premiere for Sweden's most beloved Christmas must, Apotekarnes, which accounts for over 70 percent of total Christmas must sales.

Must was launched as an alcohol-free alternative to beer at the beginning of the 20th century and then developed into Christmas must, which quickly became a success and today the Swedes drink over 30 million liters of Christmas must every year. The largest part of consumption, around 65 percent, takes place during the month of December, but many like to get a jump start already in October – last year over two million liters of Christmas must were sold in October and close to 7.5 million liters in November.

- We at Carlsberg Sweden are proud of Apotekarna's Christmas Must and it always feels a bit festive when it is a sales premiere. Apotekarnes Julmust is as obvious a part of the Christmas table as ham and herring, but is of course excellent to enjoy during the autumn months.

Every third must is sugar-free

In recent years, the consumption of light must has increased sharply – sales have gone from 4.7 million liters during October to December 2017 to over 8.3 million liters during the same period in 2020, which means that the sugar-free Christmas must now accounts for 35 percent of the total the Christmas Must Sale.

- More and more people are choosing sugar-free Christmas must and sales of Apotekarne's light variant have increased by over 25 percent every year in recent years. But the regular Christmas must is still most popular, says Henric Byström.

Brewer's must - a slightly more grown-up Christmas must

For those who want a slightly more grown-up Christmas must, there is, since a couple of years ago, Apotekarnes Bryggarmust, which is a mixture of Christmas must and alcohol-free Christmas beer.

Facts about Apotekarnes

Apotekarnes Bryggeri was founded in 1874 when Stockholm's pharmacists merged into Apotekarnes Mineralvattens AB. From the beginning, only water types were produced, but since 1908 soft drinks have also been produced. In 1964, Apotekarnes was incorporated into Pripps and since 2001 the brewery has been part of Carlsberg Sweden.

About Apotekarnes

Apotekarnes Bryggeri was founded in 1874 when Stockholm's pharmacists merged into Apotekarnes Mineralvattens AB. From the beginning, only water types were produced, but since 1908 soft drinks have also been produced. In 1964, Apotekarnes was incorporated into Pripps and since 2001 the brewery has been part of Carlsberg Sweden.

Carlsberg Sweden

We are Brewing for a Better Today & Tomorrow

Carlsberg Sweden is, with more than 50 strong brands, Sweden's leading beverage company. We develop, manufacture, distribute, market and sell beer, cider, mineral water and soft drinks. Some of our well-known and popular brands are Falcon, Carlsberg, Eriksberg, Ramlösa, Somersby and Pepsi. Carlsberg Sweden's success is a combination of strong local and international brands, brewing tradition and sustainable business that stretches back more than 300 years. By being innovative, we drive the development of Swedish drinking culture, while at the same time protecting tradition, craftsmanship, high quality and sustainability. Read more about Carlsberg Sweden and our sustainability work Together Towards Zero.

Source:

Nielsen, Volume, DVH, October, November, December, 2017 to 2020.

https://news.cision.com/se/carlsberg-sverige/r/30-miljoner-liter-per-ar--premiar-for-arets-julmust,c3424741