"Melnais Balzams is the symbol of the celebration because it has a history not only with Latvia, but with the world," Aleksandrs Ivanovs, general director of Latvijas Balzams, said.
With a 350,000 lat ($603,500) investment in new technology and machinery, the old-fashioned way of securing the bottles shut by hand is now a bygone. Traditionally, each bottle was corked, wax-sealed and stamped with insignia by individuals. This was a time consuming and, thus, inefficient method. Alongside the technological advancement is a new design to the historic balzams bottle.
The look of the brown ceramic bottle, which is produced in Germany and Holland, will remain the same. However, a newly-designed cork and seal replace the traditional and difficult-to-open wax-sealed cork. It not only makes it easier to open the bottle, but one can readily re-use the same bottle and retain it for a long time. Subsequent to the modification in production and design, is also a shift in the etiquette of the drink. As for the drink itself, nothing has been changed.
Marketing director Indra Ozola maintains, "The new design emphasizes the history of balzams."
Her primary concern was to address the question of what Rigas Melnais Balzams truly is. "Is it a product of commerce, a source of health and strength or a legend? Our answer is all of the above."
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