Who owns LASKO BEER?

LASKO BEER is owned by

HEINEKEN N.V.

First Brewed

1825

Origin

Slovenia, Europe

Pivovarna Lasko was founded in 1825 in Lasko, Slovenia by Franz Geyer, a gingerbread baker and mead producer. The brewery was established in the abandoned Valvasor Hospital, and initially brewed mainly Steinbier – a type of ale brewed by throwing hot stones into the kettle to heat up the wort.

The brewery was purchased by Heinrich August Uhlich in 1838, who began making more complex lager beer and growing Lasko’s reputation. The company was sold to Anton Larisch in 1867, and then later to Simon Kukec in 1889. In 1924, many of the shares of Pivovarna Lasko were secretly purchased by rival brewery Union, which brewed the beer briefly outside of the city before shuttering the brand entirely. This angered many of Lesko’s locals, so in 1929 the innkeeper’s guild started brewing the beer under their own company.

The company’s building was largely destroyed during World War II, and the brewery was rebuilt in 1946. The company later went public, and in 2015, Heineken purchased 51.1% of Pivovarna Laska. The following year, Laska merged with its old rival Union, which was also owned by Heineken, and simultaneously became 100% owned by the Dutch brewing giant.

Lasko is now the most popular beer in Slovenia, although after independence from Yugoslavia, the brewery has lost nearly 40% of its market share, as much of their market share was tied p in the newly foreign countries. Slovenia’s entry into the European Union further eroded its share, as free trade amongst the union opened up the space for competitors from other European countries.

The brewery also produces a cider by the name of iC Cider, as well as flavored malt beverages branded as “Bandidos.”