The company behind the Stolichnaya brand of vodka on Friday announced it is rebranding the spirit as Stoli “in direct response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”
In a statement, officials with Stoli Group said the decision was motivated by the founder’s opposition to the regime of Russian President Vladimir Putin, among other things. Stoli Group founder Yuri Shefler said he was exiled from Russia in 2000 because of his opposition to the Russian leader.
He said in the years since his exile, he has “remained proud of the Stolichnaya brand.”
“Today, we have made the decision to rebrand entirely as the name no longer represents our organization,” he said. “More than anything, I wish for ‘Stoli’ to represent peace in Europe and solidarity with Ukraine.”
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Production of Stolichnaya vodka moved from Russia to Latvia in 2001 amid a dispute between Shefler and the Russian government, according to The Wall Street Journal. Prosecutors have accused Shelfer of threatening to kill a government official and failing to appear for questioning, though he has denied the reports, telling the Journal in 2002 that the accusations were part of the government’s attempt to “squeeze” him and his company out of Russia.
Earlier this week, officials with Stoli Group announced that they plan to exclusively use Slovakian sources for the company’s vodka, ensuring that it is a “100% non-Russian alpha grade spirit.”
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Damian McKinney, the global chief executive officer for Stoli Group, said the issue is “very personal.”
“As a former Royal Marine Commando, I know all too well the horrors of war,” he said. “We have employees, partners and distributors in the region directly impacted. They are asking that we take a bold stand. This is one actionable, meaningful thing we can do to make it clear that we support Ukraine.”
The company has also announced that it is giving an undisclosed amount of money to World Central Kitchen to support the nonprofit’s efforts to feed people on the frontlines of the conflict in Ukraine.
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The decision was announced after several grocery chains and other businesses began to pull vodkas with ties to Russia from their shelves in support of Ukraine.
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