There is a new beer on the horizon in Ethiopia. United Beverages is set to launch a new brand –Anbessa beer– today in the capital.
This is a partnership between the Mauritius-based United Africa Beverages Company and Kangaroo Industrial Group. The partnership was speculated to start a new beer since 2016, when United made its entry to Ethiopia, building a state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Modjo.
With an estimated investment outlay of USD 88 million, this is to be a noted investment and give confidence to the fast growing beer market in Ethiopia.
“Anbessa Beer” showcases an emblem of a lion on the move, with the tagline “crafted with courage,” said MisikirMulugeta, the marketing director of United Beverages. “Our logo represents a generation of Ethiopians who are proud of who they are and even prouder of whom they are becoming. Anbessa is a brand that celebrates the lion-hearted, the dreamers, future seekers, everyday people who are fighting for something better.”
According to United Beverages, the new plan has the capacity to build 1.6 million hectoliters and the packaging capacity of 800,000 hectoliters.
Unique to the Ethiopian market, the company started a teaser campaign and there was much discussion about it on social media. The company claims to use half locally sourced raw and packed materials for the production of Anbessa and plans to increase that to 100 percent in the “near future.” It employs over 240 people at its new plant.
Currently, Ethiopia’s total beer consumption stands at 12 million hectoliters per year with per capital consumption estimated to be around nine liters.
