SABMiller expands ‘Chibuku’ beer into ten African countries

SABMiller today October 10, 2012 announced it has expanded its African beer brand, Chibuku, into ten countries across Africa.

Chibuku is an opaque beer based on traditional African recipes using maize and/or sorghum, depending on local tastes.

The expansion of the brand more than doubles the number of Chibuku markets from four (Botswana, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe) at the start of 2011, SABMiller said in a statement.

After making an investment of $16 million over the last 18 months, the brewer expects that “by the end of this financial year Chibuku volumes across new markets in Africa will total well over half a million hectoliters”.

The expansion has also created 200 new direct jobs, supporting a further 1,500 jobs indirectly in the supply chain and distribution network, the statement adds.

“The expansion of our Chibuku operations illustrates how we are driving our affordability strategy, product innovation and maintaining momentum behind our ‘Farming Better Futures’ programme through this continued investment,” said Mark Bowman, Managing Director of SABMiller Africa.

The beer is also sold in Ghana, Mozambique, Swaziland and Tanzania.

The Chibuku plant in Ghana was commissioned in March 2012.

By Ekow Quandzie