Brazil: Stella Artois® taps into the Brazilian beer market

InBev S.A. announced on June 28 the launch in Brazil of Stella Artois®, one of its three global flagship brands. Following the success the brand has experienced since its launch in Argentina in November last year, Stella Artois® will now also be produced at AmBev’s brewery in the state of São Paulo. Initially, it will be available on draught in select venues in the city of São Paulo, and later, in the second phase of the launch, it will be sold in its long-neck bottle.

AmBev master brewer, Gabriel Galembeck, spent the last few months traveling between São Paulo and Leuven, in Belgium, studying its recipe, its special brewing process, and the ritual which involves the pleasure of drinking a Stella Artois®. He brought to the Brazilian brewery the secret of Stella Artois®’ authentic flavor, which today is enjoyed in more than 80 countries.

The launch of Stella Artois® in Brazil is yet another step in achieving what the company announced on March 3, 2004, when Interbrew and AmBev revealed they were joining forces to form InBev: a pre-tax total of 140 million euro of annual commercial synergies by 2007.

Commenting on the event, Brent Willis, InBev’s Chief Commercial Officer, said: “InBev is not yet a year old, but already we are witnessing the collective strength of this exciting, new company, and the realization of its powerful synergies. We announced the global launch of Brahma® in March, and now, three months later, we are introducing Stella Artois® into one of the most dynamic beer markets in the world. With this launch, it will be possible for Brazilians to experience the same unique taste of this classic, highly esteemed beer which consumers the world over have been experiencing for many years.”

InBev is a publicly traded company (Euronext: INB) based in Leuven, Belgium. The company's origins date back to 1366, and today it is the leading global brewer by volume. InBev’s strategy is to strengthen its local platforms by building significant positions in the world's major beer markets through organic growth, world-class efficiency, targeted acquisitions, and by putting consumers first. InBev has a portfolio of more than 200 brands, including Stella Artois®, BRAHMA®, Beck’s®, Skol®—the third-largest selling beer brand in the world—Leffe®, Hoegaarden®, Staropramen® and Bass®. InBev employs some 77,000 people, running operations in over 30 countries across the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific. In 2004, InBev realized a net turnover of 8.57 billion euro (including four months of AmBev). For further information visit www.inbev.com.

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