Nigerian Breweries Unveils New Products

Nigerian Breweries Plc (NB) unveiled three new products yesterday, in Lagos. The event was tagged “Hat Trick” mega launch.

The highly entertaining brand event led to the unveiling of an innovation in the lager segment of the market called Heineken Magnum, appropriately dubbed “the only beer that pops.” The Magnum comes in the shape of a classic champagne-style bottle complete with cork and cage seal.

Popular stout brand, Legend extra stout had another variant as Legend CAN which was unveiled. Also, was the unveiling of Fayrouz in a new ‘garment’– the PET bottle. These brands, according to an industry analyst, have proved their mettle in the market place and have been positioned as breakaway brands to give consumers the satisfaction they yearn for.

According to Jacco Van der Linden, Marketing Director NB, “Heineken Magnum which comes in 150cl non-returnable unique and innovative bottle allows consumers in Nigeria to actually share a beer for the first time. Since 2003, Heineken has been the No. 1 international premium lager, in the highly profitable and fast growing international premium segment within the Nigerian market.” He added that Magnum contains the same high quality premium Heineken beer and should be served in a special bucket filled with ice and with a special Heineken glass to give that super premium ambience.

According to him, “Beer in a can reaches those places the bottles cannot go as it is non- returnable. We then decided to put the exact same great tasting Legend stout in Can because of the convenience it would afford consumers. We also did this in order to deliver satisfaction to all consumers who desire an affordable and best quality stout.”

As concerning Fayrouz, Van der Linden said the brand was introduced into the Nigerian Market in 2007 as the first malt based soft drink and is available in 33cl bottle and Cans, which were launched in 2009. The brand has been highly successful with an average annual growth of 40 per cent year on year. The payoff is “refreshingly different” taking into cognizance that the brand is the only premium grown up soft drink in the Nigeria market today.

According to Nnenna Ifebigh-Hemeson, Senior Brand Manager Fayrouz, “Farouz is a soft drink that has been specially developed for an adult palate, with no artificial colours or preservatives. It is naturally created to be gently sparkling and to deliver delicious fruit-flavoured refreshment. With its golden colour and foamy head, Fayrouz is the perfect choice for people looking for an excitingly different soft drink. Malted barley lies at the heart of the Fayrouz recipe and is traditionally crafted using pure, clear water to let its flavour build slowly over several days. This helps to give Fayrouz its unique depth of flavour and sweetness as it does not undergo any fermentation process and there is no alcohol in the final delicious product.”

Nigerian Breweries is also involved in the development of leadership, musical and movie talents, through various programmes. Some of these activities are captured in the company’s Social and Environmental Report. As a result of these track records, NB Plc has won several awards as a mark of its good performance in various spheres. The brand has won the prestigious Nigerian Stock Exchange President’s Merit award for several years. For three consecutive years (2001, 2002 and 2003) it has won the Nigerian Stock Exchange Quoted Company of the year award. It has also won the Nigerian Industrial Standard (NIS) awards for its various products. Also for four years (1999, 2000, 2004 and 2005), the company won Gold in the keenly contested Africa Beer Award organised by Heineken for its operating companies in Africa and the Middle East.  In 2002, Nigerian Breweries Plc won the Heineken Business Challenge Award (also known as the Heineken World Cup), a major competition organised for all Heineken operating companies in the world.

At the unveiling event yesterday, we had Nigeria’s pop sensation, Tuface Idibia and MI (Mr. Incredible) performing.