Guinness increases use of local raw material
Guinness Ghana Breweries Limited (GGBL) has increased its local sourcing of raw material from 10 per cent to 45 per cent, with plans to scale up the intake.
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The Managing Director of the beverage manufacturer, Mr Peter Ndegwa, told the Daily Graphic at Senchi in the Eastern Region last Friday that the company would increase its local sourcing to 50 per cent by the close of the year.
His assurance follows the launch of a new brand of beer, Star Lite, a light filling beverage with lower alcoholic content of four per cent, no added sugar and comes with 30 per cent less calories than the regular Star beer.
Guinness believes the innovation will appeal to the youthful segment of the market within the age bracket of 18 and 34 years, as their market research reveals that more people, mindful of their health, are making healthier lifestyle choices.
Currently, the company produces Star Lite with maize (sourced locally), malted barley and hops, brewed in lighter proportions than the regular Star Lager beer. This, the company says, will certainly improve the local sourcing of raw materials.
Guinness has already taken over the running of the Ayensu Starch Company at Bawjiase to produce industrial starch to feed its production of Eagle Beer. The brewer also uses maize and sorghum in the production of other beers.
The Managing Director of Guinness said although the economy had been facing challenges for some time now, the company had still invested in its businesses to create value for all stakeholders, including the economy.
“Despite the challenges in the economy, our business continues to invest in it, especially in innovations. In just a month, this is the second product we are launching and we will continue to set standards for innovation,” Mr Ndegwa said.
He explained that Star Lite, which used maize sourced locally, was a complement to the well-known Star Lager brand and rather takes it to the next level, rather than competing against it.
The Marketing Director of GGBL, Mr Kweku Sekyi-Cann, and the Marketing Manager, Lagers, Mr Eric Dias, took turns to explain the composition and features of the new product, which they said was the perfect response to changes in the market.
“Innovation continues to be one of our key pillars of growth and we acknowledge that consumers are by Red AdBlocker" href="#">looking for
premium beers that reflect their lifestyle choices. Star Lite gives consumers an alternative to regular beer for all drinking occasions,” Mr Sekyi-Cann explained.
The beverage’s new design and aesthetics appear poised to excite its youth targets; its labels have an innovative temperature sensitive embossment that changes from shiny white to blue to indicate that the beer is cold enough for drinking.
In addition, its crown cock has been designed to help retain the iced temperature of the drink for long, thanks to a new crown cork with a blue ceiling that locks in freshness of the beer.
The product comes in two bottles of 330ml and 625ml.