IVORY COAST – Brassivoire, the Ivorian joint venture between Dutch brewer Heineken and front-ranking specialized consumer goods distributor CFAO, is celebrating 5 years anniversary since the launch of its flagship locally made beer brand Ivoire.
Launched in 2016, Ivoire features locally grown broken rice combined with malt, offering a unique original drink anchored in the taste and culture of the Ivorian terroir.
The celebration was an opportunity to acknowledge the success the brand has attained with Laurent Theodore, Managing Director of Brassivoire, highlighting that, “The anniversary of Ivoire is a testament to the innovation and dynamism of BRASSIVOIRE, its industrial excellence and its social and economic commitment in the Ivory Coast.
“I am proud to be able to celebrate these five years of existence of IVOIRE, so many years of consumer satisfaction won over by its quality and originality and its incarnation of enthusiasm in the Ivorian market.”
The brand debuted in the market a year after the creation of Brassivoire. The following year in 2017, Heineken and CFAO expanded the company’s production capacity with the opening of state-of-the-art brewery following an investment of 114 billion (US$195m) FCFA resulting in a brewing capacity of 1.6 million hectolitres per annum.
The celebration of the brand’s 5th anniversary is also as a result of a strong conviction that brings together consumer satisfaction, constant search for taste and quality and long-term investment in the Ivorian economy and society.
With the introduction of Ivoire, Heineken brough competition to French company Groupe Castel, who for the longest time was enjoying monopoly on the then 270 million liters of beer consumed annually in the West African state, with popular brands including Castel, Flag and Solibra.
In August 2020, Brassivoire, began local production of Heineken’s Desperados beer, expanding it’s the number of brands produced in the brewery to 8 joining Ivoire, Ivoire Spéciale, Ivoire Black, Heineken, Mützig, Class and Rhino Energy Malt.
According to a report by Fitch Solutions, alcoholic drinks spending was expected to grow by 9.2% in 2021 to a value of XOF145.8mn (USD270mn), recovering from an estimated contraction of -1.5% in 2020.
Over the medium (2021-2025), Fitch forecasts alcoholic drinks spending to expand by an average annual growth rate of 10.6%. This will take total spending to XOF221bn (USD420mn) in 2025.
Similarly, alcoholic drinks consumption growth was also expected to accelerate in 2021, expanding by 14.0% to a total of 416.4mn litres, up from an estimated 6.0% growth in 2020.
Alcoholic drinks consumption growth over the medium term is set on an average annual growth rate of 20.0% over 2021-2025 as alcoholic drinks consumption growth continues to accelerate.
Liked this article? Subscribe to Food Business Africa News, our regular email newsletters with the latest news insights from Africa and the World’s food and agro industry. SUBSCRIBE HERE
