BREWING
Heineken buys minority stake in craft brewer Gallia
ple’s faces as they recall the jingle and the fantastic old ads it featured in is absolutely priceless. “For 150 years Tooheys has had a beer for each generation and it’s a testa- ment to the people of the state that the brand remains just as relevant today as it was all those years ago. One in seven cases of beer sold in NSW to this day is a case of Tooheys. “We are so proud to be NSW’s number one beer – and the only major brewer with a footprint in the state.” Mid-strength, no and low alcohol beers make up 25% of CUB sales Australian’s taste in beer is changing with non-alcoholic, low and mid-strength beers now accounting for around a quarter of all Carlton & United Breweries’ sales. Carlton Zero is playing a role in helping drive the trend towards moderation: since launching a year ago it has sold more than 3.2 million litres in Australia. Carlton Zero domi- nates non-alcoholic beer sales in bottle shops, driving up sales in the category by 14 times.
No, low and mid-strength beer now make up almost 25 per cent of the volume of beer sales for CUB – up from just 10 per cent ve years ago. Carlton Zero’s rst birthday coincides with the Global Be(er) Responsible initiative, which is a world- wide effort by brewers, including CUB, to promote responsible consumption of beer. CUB’s Chris Maxwell said the tastes of Australian beer lovers is changing. “We launched Carlton Zero because beer lov- ers told us they wanted more opportunities to enjoy beer responsibly,” he said. “The popularity of Zero shows it’s becoming normal to consume non-alco- holic beer on many different occasions.” “Research shows the most common reason people drink non-alcoholic beer is because they’re the designated driver, and we’re seeing this predominately in people aged 18-34. We think this deserves a pat on the back, and really shows the modera- tion message is getting through.” The CUB-commissioned national online survey of 1000 people this month also found no-alcohol beer is most pop- ular with people aged 18-34, with almost half (49 per cent) saying they would con- sider drinking a no-alcohol beer at a social occasion.
Heineken has acquired a minority stake in French craft brewer Gallia in Pantin (Seine-Saint- Denis), Le Figaro has reported. Gallia was founded 10 years ago and cur- rently employs 15 people. The company intends to launch a new production facility in Sucy-en-Brie
(Val-de-Marne) by autumn 2020 and thus add another 12 jobs. The new brewery’s planned production capacity is 50,000 hL, whereas Gallia’s total beer sales last year amounted to 7850 hL, or EUR2.4 mln in money terms. Commenting Heineken’s acquisition, one of Gallia’s founders Jacques Ferté said: “It’s a challenge, but we keep the control over the brand and especially our craft beers.” “Buying a minority stake isn’t a traditional approach for us. Normally, we acquire full control. For a brewery of this kind to achieve its goals, it must remain independent,” Heineken France president Pascal Sabrié said.
november 2019 I BREWER AND DISTILLER INTERNATIONAL ● 15
i bd.org.uk
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker