Stoli Group USA files for bankruptcy, cites drop in spirit demand and Russian conflict
The Stoli Group USA, a subsidiary of Stoli Group which makes Stoli vodka among other spirits, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in U.S. Federal Bankruptcy Court in the Northern District of Texas Wednesday.
The company said that a reduced demand for spirits in 2023 and 2024 as well as rising prices were among the causes of the bankruptcy in its declaration filed Sunday.
The company estimated assets in the range of $100 million to $500 million and debts between $50 million to $100 million in its voluntary petition.
Stoli Group USA, along with affiliate and bourbon distributor of Kentucky Oak, intend to file a joint plan of reorganization that will, "preserve employee jobs and allow the Debtors to continue as a going concern."
USA TODAY reached out to Stoli Group USA for further comment Monday and did not receive an immediate response.
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Bankruptcy influenced by long battle with Russia
The American company said in the declaration that the parent company suffered a data breach and ransomware attack in August that caused, "substantial operational issues throughout all companies within the Stoli Group."
Stoli Group USA said that all systems affected by the attack will be fully operational no earlier than the first quarter of 2025.
The company said that the two main holding companies of Stoli Group were designated "extremists" by a Russian court in July for providing aid to Ukrainian refugees and that the Russian government seized the last assets the company had in the country.
The filing noted that the judgment was the latest move in a long running battle between the Russian government and the spirit producer.
The founder of the company, Yuri Shefler, fled Russia in 2002 and faced criminal charges found in the 2010s by the United Kingdom and Switzerland to be politically motivated and unjust, according to the declaration.
The company has fought the Putin government for the copyrights to the Stolichnaya and Moskovskaya vodka names since 2000 in over 23 jurisdictions, according to the declaration.
The vodka brand changed its name from Stolichnaya to Stoli in 2022 in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The spirit has been made in Latvia since 2000.