Tauras
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Brewing |
| Founded | 1860 |
| Founder | Abel Sołowiejczyk, Iser Berg Wolf |
| Fate | Merged with Kalnapilis in 2001; production moved to Panevėžys in 2006 |
| Successor | Kalnapilio-Tauro grupė |
| Headquarters | Vilnius , Lithuania |
| Parent | Royal Unibrew |
Tauras, originally operating under the name Vilniaus Tauras, was a brewery situated in Vilnius, Lithuania, founded in 1860. Acquired by Royal Unibrew in 2001, it now belongs to the Kalnapilio-Tauro grupė.
History
The brewery was established in 1860 in Vilna, at that time part of the Russian Empire, with its premises located in the Lukiškės district just outside the city limits. Its founders were Jewish businessmen from the area, Abel Sołowiejczyk and Iser Berg Wolf. Around 1866, the enterprise adopted the name of Wilhelm Szopen, who was a partner and later became the owner; this name was likely chosen due to its similarity to the renowned composer Fryderyk Chopin.
In its early years, Szopen competed with other breweries in the region. By the 1890s, it had grown to employ more than 50 workers and was producing as many as 300,000 buckets of beer annually (with each bucket equaling about 12.3 liters). In 1897, entrepreneur Morduch Owsiej Epstein purchased the brewery and merged it with another local facility, creating Towarzystwo Akcyjne Browaru Szopen, a joint-stock company with a capital of 0.5 million rubles and a workforce of 250 employees. Epstein introduced modernizations including electrical motors and a diesel engine by 1909, which increased annual production to approximately 800,000 buckets (close to 10,000 hectoliters), securing nearly half of the local market share.
Following World War I, despite facing difficulties, the company expanded its reach throughout Poland, raising its capital to 810,000 złoty and establishing agencies in cities such as Warsaw, Lida, and Lwów. Although growth slowed during the Great Depression, production still climbed to 30,000 hectoliters by the early 1930s. The bankruptcy of competitors elevated Szopen into the ranks of Poland’s top fifteen breweries alongside notable names like Haberbusch i Schiele from Warsaw and Żywiec Brewery.
After the German-Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939, Vilnius became part of Lithuania; in 1940, the company’s name was adapted to Šopen following Lithuanian language conventions. Later that year, under Soviet occupation, the brewery was nationalized and consolidated with smaller producers. The name was changed to Tauras Brewery after World War II in 1945.
In 2001, Tauras merged with Kalnapilis to form AB “Kalnapilio – Tauro grupė,” which is owned by Denmark’s Royal Unibrew. By 2006, production was transferred from Vilnius to the Kalnapilis Brewery located in Panevėžys.