A. Le Coq Supports
Contributing to society
A. Le Coq promises positive experiences – the goal of the biggest beverage manufacturer in Estonia is to make all stakeholders feel good. We offer consumers the best tastes and top-quality products, while being a responsible and caring company in society. We ensure a trustworthy and customer-centric approach for our partners.
The company supports top-level and recreational sports, culture, and science, contributing as a responsible taxpayer to the development of these areas. One of the key reasons for A. Le Coq’s sustained success is the positive support from society. Therefore, we feel a moral obligation and social responsibility to help those areas that may not receive enough funding. For us, social responsibility means thinking every day about how we can contribute to making Estonia a better place, in addition to responsible business practices.
Over the years, we have supported initiatives in education, science, culture, sports, and social fields, both financially and in other ways. A. Le Coq is one of the most successful companies in the Tartu region, and thus, contributing to the development of this region remains important to us.
Education and science
Olvi and A. Le Coq’s Grant Supports and Acknowledges Teachers of Technical Subjects
In 2019, the Olvi Foundation will give out its first teachers’ grant in cooperation with A. Le Coq and Tartu Cultural Endowment. The grant is awarded to a teacher of technical subjects at Tartu Vocational Education Centre in order to acknowledge their work and give them the opportunity to explore the drinks industry and related technical innovations.
A. Le Coq’s Production Development Manager Rein Sööt noted that the broader purpose of the grant is to promote and advance technical vocational education. “Most of the human activity that surrounds us is moving towards greater mechanisation and automation,” said Sööt. “Currently, we need well-trained technical specialists in every field of life who are eager to develop and learn throughout their lives. This is due to the demands set by rapidly changing lifestyle and the increasing relevance of technology. We believe that teachers continue to be the salt of the earth, but in addition to passing on knowledge, they must be able to motivate students to further develop and promote curiosity and positivity. We wish to support teachers in this important work.”
The grant for teachers of technical subjects is 3000 euros and it is used to fund the teacher’s self-improvement and work placement in AS A. Le Coq as well as a visit to a drink industry fair held in Europe.
Application details can be found on the Estonian Cultural Endowment website.
Science Centre AHHAA
We have been supporting the AHHAA Science Centre since 1999. We believe that Estonia is becoming smarter as a result of the activities of AHHAA. It helps many people to discover an interest in science that can lead to major discoveries and inventions. The new building of AHHAA was built in 2011. It is the first building specifically meant for a science centre in the Baltics.
Sports and physical activity
We support both elite and recreational sports. A. Le Coq has offered a helping hand to the most popular sport in Estonia – football – and initiated a project to support young elite athletes.
Football
A. Le Coq is a long-standing gold sponsor of the Estonian Football Association, developing Estonia’s main football stadium A. Le Coq Arena and supporting various youth projects via the association.
In 2013 A. Le Coq and the Estonian Football Association signed a five-year cooperation agreement according to which the top local football league was named the Premium League.
A. Le Coq has also helped develop youth football by sponsoring the construction of mini football grounds all over Estonia in cooperation with UEFA. The financial support has helped the association build 40 grounds in Estonian county centres, towns, cities and schools.
A. Le Coq’s Alcohol-Free Beer is Offered at Club Tartu Marathon’s Public Sports Events
We have effectively cooperated with Club Tartu Marathon for almost 20 years. There are not many ski marathon enthusiasts who have not heard of A. Le Coq’s hot honey beer which participants are treated to at the finish line. The drink is mixed by the marathon team using our dark beer, lemon juice and honey and served hot. In addition to ski competitions, our products have quenched the thirsts of many participants of other sports events, regardless of the sport.
Tartu Marathon was the first major event in Estonia that introduced alcohol-free beer as a recovery drink to the list of drinks offered at the finish line. As of 2017, all participants who finish Tartu Marathon’s running, cycling or roller-skating marathons can choose between A. Le Coq’s alcohol-free beer or Aura water to quench their thirst.
Oliver Kivimäe, Head of Catering at Tartu Marathon events, compares the partnership between Tartu Marathon and the beer producer with marathons held in other countries, which have treated finishers to alcohol-free beer for quite some time. “We have been offering alcohol-free beer at Tartu Marathon events for several years now and while people initially preferred water, more and more are now choosing alcohol-free beer. It is evident that this trend is going to continue, but there is certainly a need for further advertising.”
Tartu Marathon Cube events include the forest marathon (running), mountain bike race, inline skating race, bike race and city run.
A. Le Coq is the Official Drinks Partner of Tallink Maijooks and Tallinn Marathon
In spring 2019, we began cooperating with Estonia’s largest running events, Tallink Maijooks and Tallinn Marathon. At Maijooks, which is popular among women, we offer thirsty runners Aura water at drink stations and new Aura products as a finishing treat – in 2019, we handed out Aura Schörle: a combination of sparkling mineral water and juice.
For the first time, the cooperation includes offering A. Le Coq’s alcohol-free isotonic wheat beer in the drink stations of both the half and full marathon. This is a completely unique product, the qualities of which are comparable to those of isotonic sports drinks. Offering isotonic alcohol-free beer at the finish lines of running and ski marathons is very common around the world, as it is a good alternative to sports drinks and helps restore the body’s water balance.
A. Le Coq Moonsund Regatta
The Moonsund Regatta is Estonia’s oldest sailing regatta, which A. Le Coq has sponsored for nearly a decade. The eight-day regatta puts both teams and yachts to the test as they battle it out for ranking points for individual events and the whole regatta. The number of participants has increased over the years and the regatta has become increasingly international. In 2017, when the A. Le Coq Moonsund Regatta celebrated its 60th anniversary, the event featured a record number of participants – around 130 yachts, incl. 29 from Latvia, Lithuania, Finland and Russia.
The regatta is organised by Kalev Yacht Club and Pärnu Yacht Club in cooperation with the Estonian Yachting Union.
Organising clubs:
Aura Centre
As the most successful company in Tartu County, we support the biggest water park in southern Estonia – Aura Water Centre. The centre opened in 2001 and has a swimming pool, water park and a health centre. The values shared by the water centre and the Aura trademark are quality, care and active lifestyles.
A. Le Coq Sports Hall
The A. Le Coq Sports Hall was built in Tartu with the support of A. Le Coq in 2006, which significantly broadened the sporting opportunities of young people in the city. The hall has three universal practice halls, two for players of ball games and one for rhythmic gymnastics. The main hall for competitions seats 2000 spectators. A. Le Coq Sports Hall also has a practice hall for judo clubs and a training base for cyclists, a gym, saunas and a sports medicine centre.