44 / BUSINESS / Beer TUSKER THROUGH THE YEARS 1922 Brothers George and Charles Hurst found Kenya Breweries Limited. “Beers that are only produced in their native headquarters are few and far between” 1936 Kenya Breweries merges with Tanganyika Breweries to form East African Breweries Limited (EABL). 1938 EABL wins its first prize in an international competition. 1954 EABL is listed in the Nairobi Securities Exchange. is sold, says Richard Smeek, deputy chairman of the advertising agency BBDO EMEA, which handles the Tusker account, but Tusker is one of the few that sells strictly by export (Guinness, which is only brewed in Ireland, is another). “Beers that are only produced in their native headquarters are few and far between,” says Smeek. The lager is filtered, carbonated and bottled before being distributed by truck, train, boat and plane to all corners of the globe, through distribution partners in South Sudan, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. By keeping production in Africa, the East African Brewing Limited, formerly Kenya Breweries, is contributing to the local economy, employing more than 1,500 East Africans, and indirectly creating more than 2 million jobs in the region. Beer aficionados like Brad John- Davis, the general manager at Nairobi & Arusha Urban Adventures, appreciate the taste most of all. He calls it “our” lager ‒ though he is in no way involved in its production, and describes it on his blog: “The light grain flavours with a mild, underlying sweetness give way to a hoppy bitterness at the finish.” MY COUNTRY, MY BEER Because of Tusker’s long history in Kenya and its connection to its land, people and water, it’s easy for Kenyans to regard it as part of their cultural heritage, and the company’s marketing strategy has long reflected that sense of pride. In the 1990s, when South African Castle breweries began to expand into the East African market, Tusker mounted a campaign using the slogan Bia Yangu, Nchi Yangu, Swahili for Alamy Olympic gold In 1968, when Kenyan track and field legend Kipchoge Keino represented his country in the Tokyo Olympic Games, he was sponsored by Tusker. Keino won two gold and two silver Olympic medals, and is now chairman of the Kenyan Olympic Committee and board member of the International Olympic Committee. in 2016 Tusker became the official sponsor of the Kenyan Olympic Team, which did the nation proud in Rio. Tusker also founded its own football club: Tusker FC, the current Kenyan Premier League champion and holder of the national GOTV Shield Cup. “My country, my beer”, coined by Judy Kibinge, the first non-expat creative director at McCann Erickson. The campaign was successful, ultimately forcing Castle out of the Kenyan market; East African Brewing also agreed to leave the Tanzanian market to Castle. Its TV commercial, a panoramic journey following Tusker all over the country with a background jingle by Kenya’s renowned Muungano National Choir, became the country's most popular advertisement. At age 95, Tusker continues to hold 30 percent of the Kenyan beer market, making it the country’s most popular beer. East African Breweries reported more than US$100 million in profit in 2016. The brand continues to see itself as integral to the nation, and to the sense of Kenyan pride. “For me Tusker has always been a brand that doesn’t just compete in Africa, but also holds its own on the world stage,” says Peter Brown. “That has always been the root of the pride Kenyans have for it, because it’s what they aspire to themselves.” 1960 The first Africans, J.M. Muchura and J. Thuo, join the EABL board of directors. 1969 Football Club Tusker FC is founded, and later becomes the third-most-successful football club in Kenyan history, winning the Kenyan Premier League 11 times to date. 1997 KBL installs an ultra-modern bottling line at its Nairobi-based Tusker Brewery. 2000 Diageo, a global leader in beverage alcohol, acquires majority stake in EABL. 2002 EABL signs licence agreements with South African Breweries. 2005 EABL becomes the first East African company to reach US$1 billion in value. 2008 UK supermarket chain Tesco starts selling Tusker, and is soon followed by Sainsbury’s. Tusker Beer is available on all international flights operated by Kenya Airways.
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