The branch of Baltika in the Samara region, a central region in the Russian Federation, won the category as best social project for their Beer Patrol project in a regional industry competition hosted by the Trade Guild in the Samara region on October 29th 2011.
The Beer Patrol project consists in a 'social raid programme', which entails Baltika employees letting a minor enter a store or other alcohol outlet to test if alcohol is being sold to the minor. The project has four main objectives, namely:
- To inform sales personnel that selling beer to minors is illegal and to encourage them to ask customers to show ID prior to purchase
- To draw attention to the issue of underage drinking´
- To prevent sales to minors
- To encourage customers to confirm their age
Beer Patrol raids have been taking place in Samara since 2008. The main goal of the project is to prevent minors from being able to access beer. The participants in the raids have been Baltika employees, representatives of social organizations, educational institutions, social services, and youth movement activists. In 2011, the Beer Patrol campaign was supported by retail chains partnering with Baltika Breweries in the region.