New York, NY (September 8, 2013) In a September 8 article in The New York Times, Val Mendeleev, the chief executive officer of SPI Group, the Russian company that owns the Stolichnaya brand, told the newspaper that "SPI Group is 'not trying to hide' its Russian roots Stolichnaya's formula, basic ingredients and name, which means capital, all come from Russia."
"Having confirmed that Stolichnaya is a Russian vodka that is made by a Russian company, this makes the company a legitimate and ideal boycott target to create positive change for LGBT human rights inside of Russia," Queer Nation NY, the direct action group, and #DumpRussianVodka said in a joint statement.
Mendeleev told the Times that SPI employs at least 600 people in Russia at "a distillery in the Russian region of Tambov to produce raw alcohol for shipment to the vodka plant" in Latvia where Stolichnaya is bottled. The company grows the grain that is used to make Stolichnaya in Russia.
SPI owns two distilleries in Russia, not one, as reported by the Times. It is not clear if the 600 Russian employees include those working at the second distillery. While SPI cannot market Stolichnaya in Russia, the company sells five other vodka brands there Kaznacheyskaya, Gradus, Vodka Great Embassy, LB Vodka, and Vodka Kaliningradskaya. On its own website, SPI says Kaznacheyskaya "is a quality brand created for the Russian market, designed to evoke a sense of national status… Kaznacheyskaya is all about pride in Russia."
Also not mentioned in the Times story were SPI's significant Russian real estate holdings that consist of residential buildings, office buildings, restaurants, and breweries.
While arguing that it is a supporter of the LGBT community, SPI has done nothing to combat the recently enacted Russian law that effectively bans all pro-LGBT statements and demonstrations there, or the recently proposed legislation that would remove children from Russian households headed by gay and lesbian parents. The company's non-discrimination policies in Russia do not include sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes.
Hundreds of bars and restaurants around the world are known to have stopped selling Russian vodka, including Stolichnaya, in response to a July 22 boycott call from Queer Nation, Dan Savage, Cleve Jones, and other leading activists.
"Stolichnaya is an iconic Russian brand made by a Russian company," Queer Nation and #DumpRussianVodka said. "The Russian vodka boycott has successfully focused the world's attention on the Russian government's attacks on LGBT Russians. That boycott will continue until that vile law is repealed."
#DumpRussianVodka is a global boycott and protest campaign to draw attention to and help stop Russian persecution of LGBT people. The aims of the campaign are to draw attention to the LGBT crisis in Russia, focus economic and political efforts on working to create change inside Russia for LGBT people, and the repeal of Russia's anti-gay law. www.dumprussianvodka.com Twitter: @DumpStoli
Queer Nation is a direct action group dedicated to ending discrimination, violence and repression against the LGBT community. Website: www.queernationny.org . Twitter: @QueerNationNY. Facebook.com/qn.newyork .