According to an earnings report, the iconic distiller, best known for its herbal liqueur Unicum, reported an after-tax profit of HUF 3.5 billion for the first nine months of its business year that started on April 1, 2024, up approximately 8% from a year earlier. Net sales climbed by about 10% to HUF 21 bln over the same period.
While the company described the first half of the year as “somewhat unimpressive,” the third quarter brought a sharp rebound, with after-tax profit jumping 17% year-on-year. “The holiday season was markedly better than expected,” Zwack noted, setting the tone for a dynamic start to 2025.
To maintain momentum, the company has rolled out a spring campaign led by two key product pushes, starting this month. Following a successful trial phase in the hospitality sector, Unicum Orange Bitter is now hitting retail shelves nationwide.
To support the launch, Zwack produced a new commercial set in Bolgheri, Italy, infused with the Mediterranean spirit of the citrus-forward liqueur. The spot includes a brief cameo by Izabella Zwack, current board member, sister of current head of the firm Sándor and daughter of late chairman Péter, and highlights the family’s ties to the Italian coastal town, where they’ve long operated a café.
Speaking at a panel discussion about the new campaign, Hungarian chef and TV personality Rozina Wossala noted that she was “not at all surprised” at the success of the bitter orange-flavored variant of Unicum, as in her experience, it was an immediate hit among the younger generations.
The second major pillar of the campaign centers on St. Hubertus, one of Zwack’s oldest brands. The company is debuting a new ad for the herbal spirit, its first in years, focusing on themes of friendship and reconnection after the divisions brought by the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing political tensions. St. Hubertus, first introduced in the early 20th century, remains a nostalgic favorite for many Hungarian consumers.
Dávid Kovács, the company’s marketing director, noted that the key idea behind the new St. Hubertus ad campaign was to “display the brand’s DNA” five years after the last commercial was shot, which is especially important in an era where “everybody is spending on ads like crazy.”
According to the earnings report, Zwack also raised its prices by an average of 4.7% from Jan. 1, 2025, to offset the impact of rising feedstock prices and an excise tax hike, both of which were exacerbated by the weakening of the forint.
Looking ahead, the company said it expects full-year after-tax profit to be broadly in line with last year’s result, suggesting a cautious but confident outlook as it leverages its legacy brands and storytelling-driven marketing.
This article was first published in the Budapest Business Journal print issue of April 4, 2025.
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