7 Mar 2022
STOLICHNAYA VODKA REBRANDS AS STOLI TO DISTANCE ITSELF FROM RUSSIA
One Stolichnaya — er, Stoli — please. The famous Russian-themed vodka is now just to be known by its nickname “Stoli,” one of the companies behind the brand said in a news release.
The move is a “direct response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” Stoli/SPI Group said Friday.
“While I have been exiled from Russia since 2000 due to my opposition to Putin, I have remained proud of the Stolichnaya brand,” billionaire Yuri Shefler, Stoli Group CEO, said in a statement. “Today, we have made the decision to rebrand entirely as the name no longer represents our organization. More than anything, I wish for ‘Stoli’ to represent peace in Europe and solidarity with Ukraine.”
Stolichnaya was first distilled in the Soviet Union in 1938. Despite growing calls to ban Russian vodkas in the United States, Stoli is actually manufactured and bottled in Latvia, according to the company’s website.
Ownership of the brand is disputed between Shefler’s Stoli Group, which is based in Latvia, and Sojuzplodoimport, a firm owned by the Russian state.
Sojuzplodoimport did not immediately return a request for comment.
Article: Stolichnaya vodka rebrands as Stoli to distance itself from Russia
