Kenya Breweries head of innovation Fred Otieno and managing director
Jane Karuku at the launch of Tusker Cider last year. PHOTO | CHARLES
KAMAU | NMG
East African Breweries Limited (EABL) has
started brewing Captain Morgan Gold at its Ruaraka brewery in Nairobi as
it seeks to tap into the growing market of spirits drinkers.
The
regional brewer, which has until now been importing the rum produced by
its parent firm Diageo, is now producing the premium spirit in the
250ml bottle at a recommended retail price of Sh270.
Fred
Otieno, Kenya Breweries Limited head of innovation, says they will by
June start producing the 750ml bottle that will retail at Sh800, Sh400
cheaper than the imported version of the rum.
The
regional brewer has in the past years seen sales of its beers such as
Guinness, Pilsner and Tusker dip while its spirits continue growing by
double digits.
“The fact that it is locally produced,
using local inputs, means that it will have a slightly different taste
than the original,” Mr Otieno told the Business Daily in an interview.
“We
are seeing a lot of our consumers shifting to mainstream and premium
spirits brands. By locally producing a brand such as Captain Morgan, our
customers get to enjoy a renowned drink at an accessible price.”
The
recipe used in production of the Captain Morgan variant will next year
be adopted for local production in EABL’s regional markets as well as in
Diageo’s subsidiaries in West Africa, Mr Otieno added.
The
EABL has stepped up its innovation to help grow sales, occasioning the
launch of brands such as Kenya Cane Coconut and Tusker Cider. Other like
Kenya Cane Citrus and a Dublin-based beer called Hop House are in the
pipeline.
The NSE-listed brewer recorded a six per cent
net profit growth to Sh8.5 billion in the year ended June, helped by
cost-cutting and marginal sales growth.
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