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Most important facts in the history of A. Le Coq

1800 - B. J. Hesse starts to brew beer for the citizens of Tartu, whose small brewery becomes the beginning for the oldest and biggest continuously operating manufacturer of drinks in Estonia, presently knonw as A. Le Coq.

1807 - the Huguenot family living Prussia founds a fast growing enterprise of drink trade – A. Le Coq & Co.

1826 - Tallinner, beer brewer J. R. Schramm starts the manufacture of lager in Tartu

1830 - Tradesman Albert L. J. Le Coq settles in London to expand family wine business and starts to bottle and export under his name Russian Imperial Stout.

1880 - Albert L. J. Le Coq sells the successful export company to his business associate, the Sillem family.

1893 - The brewery owned by J. R. Schramm’s heirs gets a new name Tivoli and manufacture is moved from the centre of town to Tähtvere.

1896 - Tivoli becomes a public limited company and the newly built large modern brewery sets out to conquer the markets.

1900 - Tivoli Ltd. buys the company belonging to A. D. Musso (former B. J. Hesse), which becomes the Tivoli Jaani Street brewery and headquarters.

1904 - A. Le Coq is transformed into a private limited company and the company headquarters and bottling plant are moved from London to St. Petersburg in 1906.

1912 - A. Le Coq is granted the title of the Russian Imperial Court supplier.

1912 - A. Le Coq buys Tivoli Ltd. in Tartu.

1913 - The manufacture of Imperial Extra Double Stout is started in Tartu. Tivoli is renamed to A. Le Coq.

1914 - World War I stops the growing success of A. Le Coq.

1917-18 - A. Le Coq Tartu factories are pillaged in turns by Russian and German armies; the department in St. Petersburg is liquidated.

1921 - A. Le Coq factory starts to operate again in independent Republic of Estonia.

1926 - A. Le Coq buys Gambrinus. Estonian beer market is divided between mass producers.

1933 - On the initiative of A. Le Coq’, the agreement of sale zones is terminated. Free competition substantially increases the sale of A. Le Coq products.

1938 - A. Le Coq opens a new modern bottling and beverage plant in Tallinn at Suur-Patarei Street to meet the increasing needs of the capital city.

1940 - A. Le Coq is nationalized. Pre-war sales volumes have made the enterprise in Tartu the biggest manufacturer of beer in Estonia.

1941 - Nationalized A. Le Coq Ltd. is renamed AS Tartu Õlletehas.

1941 - 1944 - A. Le Coq operates as a national undertaking Bierbrauerei Dorpat. Nearly 80 % of beer production goes to satisfy the needs of the German army.

1944 - In September, Tartu Õlletehas is subordinated again to the People’s Commissariat of the Food Processing Industry of ESSR.

1950 - Tartu Õlletehas is thoroughly reconstructed.

1958 - Tartu Õlletehas manufactures for the first time more than 10 million litres of beer per year.

1960 - Tartu Õlletehas is appointed as the leading enterprise of beer and beverages by the line of administration of food production.

1962 - A new beer bottling plant is completed that is the most modern and efficient plant of that time in the whole of the Soviet Union.

1968 - Bottling of the first Estonian mineral water is started.

1973 - Tartu Õlletehas gets as an acknowledgement the name Tartu Eksperimentaalõlletehas.

1980 - Beer production increases six-fold compared to the pre-war production volume.

1995 - Newly independent Republic of Estonia privatizes the state-owned company Tartu Õlletehas to Magnum Konsuumer. New owners start to modernize the company. New machinery is bought and a bottling line of plastic bottles is bought.

1997 - Finnish beer manufacturer Olvi Oyj acquires the shares of Tartu Õlletehas.

1998 - Holding company A. Le Coq Ltd. is founded that in addition to Tartu Õlletehas also acquires the holding in the Latvian brewery Cesu Alus and Lithuanian brewery Ragutis AB

1999 - Tartu Õlletehas is the first company to manufacture cider in Estonia.

2001 - Tartu Õlletehas is the first company to produce sports drinks in Estonia.

2002 - A. Le Coq becomes the leading drink producer of Estonia.

2003 - Tartu Õlletehas buys Ösel Food Ltd. The company starts to produce juice, juice drinks and ice tea.

2004 - Tartu Õlletehas Ltd. changes its name into A. Le Coq Tartu Õlletehas Ltd.

2004 - A. Le Coq is the first drink manufacturer to exceed the production margin of 100 million litres.

2005 - A. Le Coq is the first to introduce foil covers for cans in Estonia.

2005 - A. Le Coq is the first one in Estonia to start the production of near water.

2006 - A. Le Coq launches Gin Long Drink in an embossed can.

2006 - A. Le Coq invests into the multipack bottling line of cans.

2006 - A. Le Coq becomes the biggest Estonian drink manufacturer whose main product groups are beer, juice, water and soft drinks.

2007 - A. Le Coq Tartu Õlletehas Ltd changes its official name to A. Le Coq Ltd.

2007 - A. Le Coq starts to manufacture energy drinks.

2007 - The construction of a new logistics centre is completed in Tartu.

2007 - A. Le Coq celebrates the 200th anniversary of its trademark and enterprise and launches a jubilee beer A. Le Coq Special.

2007 - a new bottling line of plastic bottles is completed.