New Ukrainian Vodka Debuts  at Toronto Film Festival Party

By Olena Wawryshyn

 
A new vodka, Slava Ultra Premium Vodka, distilled and bottled in Ukraine, was the “spirit of choice” at this year’s star-studded Toronto International Film Festival’s (TIFF) Barbecue on the second Sunday of September.

The barbecue, hosted each year by Academy Award-winning director Norman Jewison, is one of the most prestigious events of the Film Festival party circuit.  It takes place on the vast grounds of the Canadian Film Centre, and is attended by the film industry’s elite, drawing filmmakers and celebrities from around the globe who go to be seen at the barbecue and to strike industry deals.

This year, the 3,500-plus guests had a chance to sample Slava in three vodka-based martinis – the Orange Revolution, Freedom Flash and the Taste of Glory – at four separate martini bars.  Waiters also served ice shots of Slava at the barbecue.

Distributed by Multiculture Marketing, Slava is a  very recent arrival on the Canadian market.

“Slava is very similar to the premier of a new movie,” says Victor Koszarny, Multiculture Marketing’s Director of Sales. “We are formally launching the vodka this fall and it seemed perfect to pick the Film Festival Barbecue as the launch of the debut,” he adds.

The opportunity for being a barbecue sponsor came to Multiculture Marketing through the success of two other Ukrainian-produced drinks, Lvivske Premium Beer and Slavutich Premium Beer, which the Oakville company also distributes in Canada.

“It started back at the Toronto International Wine and Cheese Show," where Lvivske won the gold medal and Slavutich won bronze for European Pilsners, says Koszarny. “A gentleman by the name of Glen Kerekes came by the booth to sample our vodka. He had just tried another brand of vodka that boasted the fact that it was five-times distilled.  I let him know about Slava, and its incredible smoothness and superior quality.” 

After trying Slava, Kerekes, who had been a long-time sponsor of the TIFF BBQ, was so impressed he proceeded to sing the praises of Slava “and recommended us as the perfect sponsor not only because of the smooth taste and quality of our vodka, but also because of the design and look,” says Koszarny.

Slava is a joint project between Multiculture Marketing, a Canadian company, and the Zlatogar Distillery.  One of the oldest distilleries in Ukraine, founded in 1896,  Zlatogar is known for the purity of its water and for using natural ingredients and traditional methods.

The consumers of vodka in Ukraine are mostly men who like their vodka “with a kick; it has to burn,” explains Katherine Koszarny, Multiculture Marketing’s Director of Operations, but Western palates prefer a smoother taste she says. Working with the distillery’s head of production, Multiculture Marketing developed a smooth vodka that would appeal to the international “taste profile” and could compete with premium international brands. It took 25 versions to find the perfect Slava recipe says Ms. Koszarny.

In Ukraine, there are five grades of grain spirits, based on distillation and the quality of sprits; filtration; water quality and flavouring. The top grade is known as “tears of God,” and it is in this tier that Slava is found, according to the company’s marketing materials.  Slava is made from the finest grain spirits, four-times distilled and triple purified through four different types of filtration processes, using purified water and 100% natural flavours.  It is said that distilling spirits four times increases the quality and purity of vodka without adversely reducing the character and taste.

Ms. Koszarny says that their business venture is creating jobs in Ukraine, but there is an additional benefit too in terms of pride that is generated in the employees who are making a product that is distributed internationally. “When I walk through the distillery (in Cherkasy oblast), the ladies in production come up to me and tell me how proud they are,” she says. 

 “Slava is a brand that people can buy to take to a vice president of a company or to their neighbours and feel proud. We are proud of it because it’s from Ukraine. We put a tryzub on the bottle; we want Ukrainians to be known as leaders,” says Ms. Koszarny.

The Slava bottle, like the vodka itself, is a joint Canadian-Ukrainian project. “The bottle was designed in Ukraine, by a Ukrainian designer near Rivne. The label was originally designed by a Canadian creative director who was the head of a major ad agency in Kyiv,” says John Vellinga, the President and CEO of Multiculture Market (who is Ms. Koszarny's husband). “The label was later refined by Reactor, a Toronto creative agency, which fleshed out the art-deco feel of the label and worked it for the export market,” he adds.

According to Ms. Koszarny, there are many similar examples of successful co-operation between Ukrainian and international companies and institutions. Koszarny lived in Ukraine for five years with Vellinga and says they both fell in love with the country.

 “There are so many bright spots about Ukraine,” says Ms. Koszarny when asked about the difficulties of doing business in Ukraine.  But, unfortunately it’s been overshadowed by the political situation and 14 years of bad public relations and leaders,” she says.

 “In Ukraine, you know it is spring when you see pidsnizhky (spring flowers) poking out of the snow: Ukraine is currently full of pidnizhky. We see a lot of potential in people, business leaders and companies that are growing and are successful.”

“It’s about translating needs and what it means to be a world class supplier to the world.”