E-Malt.com News article: 2257

Australia: Interbrew, The World's Local Brewer© - and Carlton & United Breweries (CUB), have signed a distribution agreement which gives CUB the right to import, distribute and market Interbrew's global specialty premium brands - Leffe® and Hoegaarden® - until 2012 in Australia, Interbrew announced on February 26.

The distribution agreement follows the success CUB has had with Interbrew's premium portfolio of Belgian beer brands for several years. It reaffirms the commitment the two companies made to each other in 2002, when they signed a ten-year license contract giving CUB the right to brew, distribute and market Stella Artois®, one of Interbrew's global premium brands and one of the fastest growing premium beers in the Australian market.

Australian beer drinkers' consumption habits are changing - they are becoming more experimental, seeking out new experiences and taste profiles which fall outside the traditional Australian mainstream beer territory.

As a result, the Australian premium beer market is growing at around 12% per year, outperforming the total beer market by seven percentage points*. CUB's share of the Australian premium beer market is 55.3%*.

Belgian beers, in particular, have enjoyed a massive surge in popularity over the past few years. Interbrew's specialty brands like Hoegaarden®, the white beer, and the Leffe® range of Abbey beers have grown more than 80% and 70% per year respectively** in the past year alone.

"The growth of our Belgian beer portfolio is outstanding," said Trevor O'Hoy, Managing Director, CUB. "We are delighted to have taken our relationship with Interbrew to another level by formalising our commitment to several of Interbrew's premium brands. We are committed to the expansion of the premium segment in Australia and have no doubt that the exceptional performance of Stella Artois®, Hoegaarden® and Leffe® will continue as Australian consumers' demand for specialty beers increases."

"Interbrew is very pleased to further develop its premium portfolio in Australia together with its long-term partner CUB, the largest Australian brewer," said Tony Desmet, Senior Vice President Global Export - Licenses.

Central to the success of Stella Artois®, Hoegaarden® and Leffe® is the Belgian Beer Café® concept, developed by Interbrew in 1985 as a shopfront for its range of specialty Belgian beers. Interbrew and CUB worked together to bring the concept to Australia where there are now six Belgian Beer Cafes® up and running, and two more in the pipeline for 2004. Each outlet showcases the draught beer pouring ritual developed in Belgium in the 18th Century when beer was first poured into glass.

The ritual is crucial to establishing the theatre and quality associated with the Belgian Beer Café® experience. Australia has embraced Belgium's high standards and traditions to such a degree that the 2003 World Draught Master Championship was awarded to Kerrie-Ann Watts of the Oostende Belgian Beer Café® in Adelaide, despite strong competition from elite bar staff from 20 countries around the world.

The World Draught Master title is an accolade of which CUB and Interbrew are extremely proud because it demonstrates that when it comes to finding the world's best Belgian Beer experience, you'll find it in Australia.


27 February, 2004