ABOUT US - HISTORY AND MISSION
Established in 1994 - following a one year preparatory work - the Microbreweries Association of Hungary (MBA) is the representative voice for the microbrewing industry in Hungary and was registered under the following name: The Association for Safeguarding the Interest and Business Federation of Microbreweries.
Headquarters: H-3530 Miskolc, Vörösmarty u.79.
The mutual activity of MBA members has been governed by its own articles of association.With growing credibility and success, MBA has come to represent the broad spectrum of the independent brewing sector.
From membership strenght of mere 18 it had soon swelled to close to 140 brewers by the middle of the 90's decade.From that time onward the number of the independent breweries had been drastically dropped due to certain newly introduced regulation on the local beverage market - therefor the number of members fell back.
In the flourishing early years MBA served its members with differrent promotional and trade developing programs. An educational course had been held for winning a professional brewer degree. Lectures and trade shows had been organized, technical fairs and breweries abroad were visited by the members.
The Microbreweries Association has achieved a good relation with governmental bodies as well. It took part in the elaboration of the Hungarian Food Book, a collection of releavant rules and laws, further as co-member in the beer commitee MBA also contributed with its proposals to the reform of the local Excise Law.
The Association has developed a long lasting co-operation with the Hungarian Association of Food Science and Technology, Brewing Section aiming the continous quality improvement.
In the year 1996 and 2005 MBA attended on the OMÉK, the best visited agricultural and food industry exhibition and was received with great recognition. Based on the visitors' vote MBA's booth had been granted the second prize on the beautiest looking booth competition.
On that fair the first beer rating contest had been held which served a good opportunity to the members to introduce their beers to the public. This event gave a huge impetous to brewers for their quality improvement work.
In the next years this kind of beer judging competition has been organized bi-annually, and soon became an international event when brewers from neighbouring countries also started to join. Due to the quickly achieved popularity, in 2004., breweries from 11 countries were represented.
Today over 80% of existing small breweries are member of MBA.
In 2008 and 2009 international conferences on brewing history has been realized by MBA in association with Miskolc University and the Hungarian Breweriana Collectors' Club. During the events 19 lectures have been held on the subject of the past, the present and the expected future of the microbreweries here.
The 7th international beer contest of MBA is planned to be held in 2010 in Miskolc.
MBA has been fulfilling a mission from the beginning in recalling the forgotten traditions of microbrewering. Overcoming the initial difficulties the quality level of the members' beers now meets the requiremnts of their increasing number of drinkers. MBA's basic production rule is that only natural and possibly locally made ingredients are allowed to use. The success of the small breweries are demonstrated by the fact that the non-standard specialities have mainly been manufactured by the MBA members.
MBA intends to carry on the hungarian gastronomical traditions in its field and such as, became member of the Order of Knighthood on Hungarian White Table. The association attended on the "Culinarity adventures through 1000 year" show as well.
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