Ethiopia: Habesha Breweries mulling launch of new zero- and low-alcohol beers

Ethiopia’s Habesha Breweries SC is contemplating to bottle new beverages, EthioSports reported on February 5.

Getaneh Asfaw, marketing manager, told The Reporter that his company is planning to produce sparkling and still water, non-alcoholic beer and a new beer with low alcohol content.

Habesha Beer, which joined the local market in July 2015, has become a popular beer brand. The beer has five percent alcohol content. The company is now planning to introduce beer with lower alcohol content.

“We will decide based on the market study. It is too early to talk about the details,” Getaneh said.

Asked if Habesha will build a new plant that will bottle the planned products or use the existing facility Getaneh said it will be decided based on the study. The study will be completed within three months. The company hopes to introduce the new products in 2018.

Habesha Breweries was established by 8,000 Ethiopian shareholders including traditional associations like equbs, idirs and Ethiopians in the diaspora who contributed 4,000 birr to 5 million birr. Habesha built its 650,000 hectolitres beer manufacturing plant in Debre Birhan city, 120 km north of Addis Ababa. The second largest brewery in the Netherlands, Bavaria, holds 40 percent stake in Habesha Breweries.

Getaneh said Habesha, which has a motto “Reach and Connect”, has an ambition to reach Ethiopians in the diaspora. “We want to reach every place where Ethiopians live. We are using our ambassadors and national flag carrier Ethiopian Airlines to reach Ethiopians aboard.”

Habesha is also planning to start exporting its products.