OLVI PLC             PRESS RELEASE 9 SEP 2003 at 4.00 pm   1 of 1


OLVI PLC’S SUBSIDIARY SUBMITTED AN OFFER TO PURCHASE THE ESTONIAN
BEVERAGE COMPANY AS ÖSEL FOODS

AS A. Le Coq, the Estonian subsidiary of Olvi plc, submitted an
offer to purchase the entire stock of the Estonian company OÜ
Finelin. OÜ Finelin holds 100 per cent of the Estonian beverage
company AS Ösel Foods. The parties today signed a letter of intent
stating that a final decision on the sale of shares will be made
by mid-October 2003. The final execution of the sale requires
approval from the Estonian competition authority.

AS Ösel Foods is a beverage company manufacturing juices and
mineral waters, as well as soft drinks with added vitamins. It is
domiciled in Reola, Ülenurme, Tartumaa, approximately 10
kilometres from Tartu. The company’s Estonian brands include Aura,
Aura ACE, Aura Spring and Gruuv. Its net sales in 2002 amounted to
10.4 million euro, while the net sales for the first six months of
2003 stood at 7.0 million euro. The sales volume of the company’s
beverages was 10 million litres in 2002, followed by 14 million
litres during the first six months of 2003. AS Ösel Foods is the
market leader in the Estonian juice market with a 27 per cent
market share. It employs approximately 90 people.

AS A. Le Coq is a fully owned subsidiary of Olvi plc and holds
100% of AS Tartu Ölletehas in Estonia, 90.87% of A/S Cesu Alus in
Latvia, as well as 83.1% of AB Ragutis in Lithuania. Consolidated
net sales for the AS A. Le Coq Group amounted to 39.0 million euro
in 2002, followed by 19.0 million euro for the first six months of
2003.



Markku Rönkkö
Managing Director

Phone  +358 50 65 851


DISTRIBUTION
Hex Plc
Key media
http://www.olvi.fi



APPENDIX  AS A. LE COQ PRESS RELEASE 9 SEPT 2003 at 16.00 pm




                                                      APPENDIX 1

AS A. LE COQ      PRESS RELEASE    09 SEPT 2003 at 16.00 pm     1

A.LE COQ HAS MADE A PURCHASE OFFER TO ÖSEL FOODS


AS  A.Le Coq made a purchase offer to the owners of AS Ösel  Foods
shares. Based on that offer the two beverage companies located  in
South-Estonia, Tartu area may merge in the middle of October.  The
owners  of  the  both companies signed a letter of  intent  today,
purchase  application  documents will  be  presented  to  Estonian
Competition Board in the end of current week.

“Our  offer is based on the vision that via merging the two strong
brands  and  companies,  a  new  economically  effective  beverage
concern with Baltic output would be formed,ö said Tarmo Noop,  CEO
of  A.Le Coq. According to his words, the purchase would mean both
bigger  production  capacities and  better  option  to  use  those
capacities. “The production capacity, especially in the segment of
soft  drinks  and waters, has been problematic for us already  for
two  summers,ö  Noop spoke. “In case of purchase, A.Le  Coq  would
also   have   new   opportunities  in  juices   and   juice-drinks
production.ö

Noop  assured  that the offer was made considering  that  the  new
merged company could make a better use of A.Le Coq’s Baltic output
both in Latvia and Lithuania.

A.Le  Coq  and  Ösel  Foods have had close  cooperation  relations
already  for past couple of years, the two companies have  similar
investment visions for the time period of  2004-2006.

“A.Le  Coq’s  offer  is  based on the interest  towards  both  the
company as well as the Aura brand, their intention is to unite the
strengths.  The owners of Ösel Foods have firmly decided  that  we
will  go  through  all  that kind of offers  and  consider  them,ö
commented the CEO of Ösel Foods Kuldar Leis.

The  parties will announce their final decision in the  middle  of
October as latest. In case of purchase, A.Le Coq is ready to  take
over  most  of the existing team of Ösel Foods. The production  of
non-alcoholic beverages – soft drinks, juices, juice drinks – will
be focused in Ösel Foods factory nearby Tartu.

AS  A.Le Coq, belonging to the Finnish concern Olvi Oy, owns  100%
of  Tartu  Õlletehas stocks, 90,87 % of Latvian brewery Cesu  Alus
stocks  and  83,1% of Lithuanian brewery Ragutis  AB  stocks.  The
turnover  of the companies belonging to ALC group was 297  million
kroons in the first half of the current year.

The most well-known brands of AS Ösel Foods, a beverage company
located in Tartu area, are Aura, Aura ACE, Aura Spring and Gruuv.
Ösel Foods is owned by OÜ Finelin. The turnover of the company was
110 million kroons in the first half of the current year.

Additional information:

Tarmo Noop
AS A.Le Coq, CEO
Ph: 07 449 711
E-mail: [email protected]


Kuldar Leis
AS Ösel Foods, CEO
Ph: 07 390 400
E-mail: [email protected]