Argentina: Two years after the launch of Iguana premium beer brand, Quilmes returns to compete in the market of international premium beers. With 70% participation in the domestic beer market, Quilmes, has started brewing the Belgian beer brand, Stella Artois, at its plant in Zárate, the province of Buenos Aires, Argentinean press posted on December 22. In 2002 the merge with AmBev made Quilmes lose the Dutch Heineken premium beer brand, as Heineken pulled out from the Quilmes.

In this way, Quilmes hopes to compete with Heineken and Warsteiner in the Argentine premium beer market. Quilmes is owned by InBev, the company formed earlier this year when Interbrew merged with AmBev.

At the same time CCU (Cervecerías Chilenas Unidas) is preparing to re-launch the Budweiser brand.

The premium beer segment accounts for about 3% of all beer sales in Argentina, which amounts to 400,000 hl per year. That means a turnover of about US$ 40 million per annum. The leader in the premium beer segment in Argentina is Heineken, which is produced by CCU under license. Heineken accounts for 70% of the premium beer segment, whereas 30% is held by Warsteiner. An insignificant part of the market is left to the Mexican Crown, the Irish Guiness and the German Lowenbrau, not brewed in the country.