Category: Beverages

China’s Mengtai Group imports entire distillery from Scotland to create “globally award-winning whisky”

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CHINA – The Mengtai Group, One of Inner Mongolia’s largest private firms with vast interests in coal production and electricity generation, is importing an entire whisky distillery from Scotland to China.  According to a report by the BBC, more than 35 tonnes of equipment, including stills, flooring, control valves, and pipework, are leaving Buckie in Moray for the port of Tianjin.  On arrival, the equipment part of a £3m “design and build” deal signed between Forfar firm Valentine International and China’s Mengtai Group in 2019 will be assembled at a facility being built in Inner Mongolia.  The facility in Ordos – a city of more…

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Botswana based Sechaba Brewery Holdings names Mabu Nteta as its new Managing Director

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BOTSWANA – Sechaba Brewery Holdings Limited (SBHL), an investment holding company with 60% controlling interest in Kgalagadi Breweries Limited (KLB) and Botswana Breweries (Pty) Limited, has appointed Ms. Mabu Nteta to the position of Managing Director with effect from 1 July 2021. SBHL’s subsidiary, Kgalagadi Breweries, produces lager beers, traditional beers, bottled water and soft drinks under license. The brewery has four traditional beer breweries, a clear beer brewery, a sparkling soft drinks production plant and six sales and distribution centres in Botswana. Meanwhile its other unit, Botswana Breweries produces…

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UK retail chains, pubs mull shutting some stores due to staff shortages amid rising Covid-19 cases

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UK – The rising number of cases in the UK is presenting a new challenge to business operators as many employees have had to self-isolate themselves following contact with people who have tested positive.  Recent figures showed more than 500,000 people in England and Wales were “pinged” by the NHS Covid app in the week to 7 July and required to self-isolate for 10 days for coming into contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19.    According to a BBC report, the rising number of people who are being forced into self-isolation is having profound consequences for the economy…

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Boston Beer, Beam Suntory partner to enhance presence in emerging alcoholic beverage categories

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US – Boston Beer, a leading independent, American craft brewer, has partnered with premium spirits maker Beam Suntory to take on the emerging alcoholic beverage categories that are taking the market by storm.    Boston Beer is the maker of the popular Sam Adams beer that debuted in the US in 1984 and the recently introduced Truly Hard Seltzer.  Beam Suntory on the other hand produces a number of leading premium spirits brands including Jim Beam and Maker’s Mark bourbon brands, Sauza tequila, and Pinnacle vodka.  As part of the collaboration, Beam Suntory’s Sauza tequila brand will…

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SAB stops beer production amid extended liquor sales ban, damages from unrest

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SOUTH AFRICA – The South African Breweries (SAB), subsidiary of AB InBev has halted its production activities following the extension of the government’s alcohol sales ban as part of lockdown regulations. Government instituted the ban at the end of June as South Africa was hit by a deadly third Covid-19 wave in order to keep hospital beds available for Covid-19 patients and free of alcohol-related trauma cases. The ban was extended on 10 July. “As SAB goes into a sales ban, it implements an orderly wind-down process by which the…

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Delta Corporation revenue jumps 114% on back of recovered volume sales from low prior year base

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ZIMBABWE – Zimbabwe’s largest beverages maker, Delta Corporation, has registered a 114% growth in revenue in the first quarter to June 2021, in inflation adjusted terms, following significant recoveries in volumes, coming from a tight lockdown that disrupted business in the same period last year. The manufacturer of leading brands like Castle lager, Zambezi lager, Pilsener, Coca Cola and Chibuku in Zimbabwe, said on a historical basis, total revenue was 391% better than prior year. Delta attributed the first quarter volume recovery to a low base the group was coming…

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Coca-Cola Israel expands into cultured milk production as US unit updates taste of coke zero

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ISRAEL – Coca-Cola Israel, formally known as The Central Bottling Company (CBC), is diversifying into cultured milk production with a new strategic partnership with Israeli food-tech company BioMilk.  Under the new partnership, CBC will invest up to US$2 million in the development of BioMilk’s cultured milk products. BioMilk, on the other hand, will transfer its products to Tara Dairy, which is owned by CBC, for a “pilot commercial production”.   Transferring production capabilities to Tara Dairy will enable BioMilk to step up technological developments and accelerate its reach towards the fridges and shelves of consumers.  With the new partnerships,…

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CCBA promotes former Coca-Cola Kwanza CEO Andrew Musingo to be its Chief Integration Officer

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SOUTH AFRICA – The Coca-Cola Beverages Africa has appointed Andrew Musingo as the new Chief Integration Officer, effective 01 August 2021. Andrew has been promoted to the new role after completing his task as the Chief Executive Officer at the Tanzanian subsidiary of CCBA, Coca-Cola Kwanza. He handed over his previous leadership role to Unguu Sulay, who became the new Managing Director of Coca-Cola Kwanza from 28th June 2021. Unguu took over the helm of the company from Plasco Limited where he was the Chief Financial Officer. In his new…

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Moët Hennessy, Campari partner to build a European ecommerce platform for wines and spirits

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US – French-based premium alcoholic manufacturer Moët Hennessy and maker of Italian alcoholic liqueurs Campari Group have partnered to build a European eCommerce platform for wines and spirits. The 50/50 joint venture will look at investing in wines and spirits eCommerce companies to enable them take advantage of the popularity of consumer shift to online purchases amid the Covid-19 pandemic.  Under the terms of the agreement, Campari will transfer its stake in Tannico – an alcohol eCommerce platform that it acquired last year – into the newly-formed joint venture for €25.6 million.  Tannico owns a majority stake in Ventealapropriete.com, an online…

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Cargill invests US$45m into production of soluble fibres to meet Europe’s demand for low-calorie products

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EUROPE – American multinational food corporation Cargill is investing US$45 million into production of soluble fibers in an effort to meet demand for low calories products in Europe.  According to a statement from the company, the investment will be pumped into Cargill’s existing facility in Wroclaw, Poland where construction of a soluble fiber products line is already underway. The company is expecting its initial offerings to be fully commercialized in the second half of 2022.  The move marks the company’s first entry into the European soluble fibre market and comes amid a growing demand for reduced-sugar products. Demand for low-sugar products grows…

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