The investment priorities of 2011 include innovations in the packaging development, where a total of 300 thousand euros will be invested in various projects. The implementation of this production unit modernisation means that Cēsu alus has already invested seventy thousand euros in technological equipment this year for the filling line for new volume cans. At the beginning of 2011 at the Cēsis plant, additional technical equipment was installed which allows pint-volume 0.568l cans to be filled with beer. Currently, two products are already available on sale in the new pint volume cans. These are beers, Cēsu Premium and Cēsu Special. Another230 thousand euros is earmarked for investment in the development of other packaging items, including the implementation of new design drinks packaging, as well as the development of the current packaging ergonomics.By developing production technologies, in order to provide relevant capacity during the season, in 2011 additional tanks for the storage of raw materials will be installed. Also, the modernisation project for laboratory equipment will be implemented in order to provide production levels of a consistently high quality, where those quality levels are produced and monitored in accordance with the requirements of the international quality standard, BRC (BRC Global Standard for Food Safety). A total of 200 thousand euros will be invested in the modernisation of laboratory technological equipment.

Taking care to decrease the effects of the company’s activities on the environment,Cēsu alus regularly implements programmes involving the saving of power resources, as a result of which the usage of all resources – water, gas and electricity – has been effectively decreased. In 2011, 150 thousand euros will be invested in various projects involving power saving resources, which includes both programmes for decreasing the amount of water used in the production process and programmes which will effect heating consumption levels at the plant.

The chairman of the board for JSC “Cēsu alus”, Eva Sietiņsone Zatlere, says: “At times, when the state economy, the purchasing capacity of the general public, and market development all experience stagnation, innovations and investments in long-term development are the basis for sustainable entrepreneurship. In the meantime, while also investing in programmes for saving power resources, we make sure we take care of the company’s social responsibilities, as well as the social responsibility of the business environment in general.”

In 2010 the vol­ume of investments by Cēsu alus in the company’s development totalled 900 thousand euros. The most significant resources were mainly invested into packaging development, which was related to expanding the totalCēsu alus portfolio of drinks. However, to improve production and filling processes in the glass line, 450 thousand lats were invested. This investment project also included the improvement of packaging development, and the new Cēsu Premium green glass bottle, which was implemented last year, was one of the stages of this investment project, in which 150 thousand lats were invested.

By implementing a long-term investment policy, since 2000 a total of forty million euros has been invested in the Cēsu alus production complex, with new production and boiling buildings being built, storage premises being constructed, biological water treatment equipment being installed, and the most powerful canning line in the Baltic States being set up.