“An Innovative Leader”

Some believe all it takes to become a global market leader is deep pockets, but in reality, it takes a lot more. From local producer to global spirits company, the Amber Beverage Group (ABG) is a perfect case in point. “We expanded our business quite rapidly, so our family gets bigger and bigger, our corporate DNA becomes more diverse, there are even more processes to be managed. We actively work to improve and optimize our daily work in order to support this growth – we’re introducing robotics in our back offices and developing AI solutions for several operational functions to be as effective and productive as possible,” says Jekaterina Stuge, the CFO and COO of Amber Beverage Group.

"ABG is a leading project developer and producer for many market leading private label beverages across most categories, in over 20 markets."

Jekaterina believes that getting used to changes is the biggest challenge in every company. “Thinking of what and how can be changed and done more efficiently is part of my daily life. The main challenge in driving non-stop improvements in such a global company as ABG is to make people believe that they need these changes and convince them to see that as something positive and not as a threat. From my prospective this is a very interesting process,” she says.

ABG has transformed from a Baltic enterprise into a global organization with a world-class infrastructure. In addition to developing and growing the business ABG already maintain; the Group had been active to acquire and integrate new companies, such as UK distributors Cellar Trends and Indie Brands, Australian distributor Think Spirits and Austrian distributor Mountain Spirits. “ABG is operating in a highly competitive environment and faces pressure from both local and international spirits producers. This is the reason why ABG is looking to be widly integrated company through production, distribution and retail. Through our own distribution businesses and working with independent distribution partners in global markets, ABG has developed unique capabilities and competitive advantages in relation to the critical aspects of route-to-market management,” adds Jekaterina.

“At ABG we drive a continuous improvement culture. Operational excellence is one of our core values and we support all team members to bring their ideas for non-stop improvements in processes that include automatization in production and logistics, also in the back office,” explains Jekaterina. “We are focusing on real innovation that creates a model for excellence in organizations through the application of identical principles of operations, alignment in management systems and wise application of improvement techniques.”

Jekaterina leads numerous projects that helps almost 20 ABG companies to fasten their processes by investing in next level technologies like Robotics solutions using Kryon systems. It is a required next step in development that will help to robotize all standard routine works and free up employee time for intelligence analysis. She is constantly innovating the company’s products and sales channels to get closer to the customers and their needs wherever they are. With roots in the business stretching back over a century, it is a challenge to keep pace with the ever-changing marketplace, while investing in qualities that matter.

At this moment in time, ABG has robotized about 60 processes that have brought incredible implementation success. In addition to this, the Group has also begun to implement Blockchain solutions for supply chains. This is because both tracking and immutability of data on blockchain can help to verify products origin and responsible suppliers from ingredients preparation to retailer shelves. Also, to be closer to its clients, ABG is developing an option to purchase beverages online and receive them at home. Amber Beverage Group always puts the consumer at the heart of everything they do. At the core of their consumer focus is a drive to deliver extraordinary brand experiences. “We have developed a deep understanding of the states of customer needs and the local teams continuously generate actionable insights in respect to consumer usage and attitudes, lifestyle preferences and consumption occasions in each of our focus markets,” says Jekaterina.IE