Yuri Shefler

About Me

Yuri Shefler established the SPI Group, which produced and sold alcohol under 380 brands in 170 countries. Shefler divided his alcohol business into two companies in 2021: Stoli Group (maker of Stolichnaya vodka) and Amber Beverage Group, which manufactures other spirits. Amber Beverage Group owns Latvijas balzams, the largest producer of alcoholic beverages in the Baltics, and Amber Production Tequila (KAH Tequila, Rooster Rojo Tequila and Cenote). He bought Stolichnaya, his best-known brand, from state-owned VVO Soyuzplodoimport for $285,000 in 1997. Russia's Supreme Court deemed the deal illegal in 2021, banning Stoli sales inside Russia. In 2024, a Russian court declared Shefler an extremist and confiscated his Russian assets for state use.