Kalik from Bahamas
now in United Kingdom
Germany latest export market
for Murphy's Irish Stout
Slowly but surely Cork's black beer goes more
international
HEINEKEN INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE NO. 35
PAGE 3
Our chat with him takes place one day before he sets off
again for a five-week trip to the United States. Export
manager Bob Kennefick has been a very busy man since
exports of Murphy's Irish Stout started to boom. After the
United Kingdom, the United States and France, it's now
Germany's turn to get the Murphy's taste.
Kalik, the beer successfully intro
duced on the Bahamas several years
ago, is now boldly making the great
leap across the ocean. Over the past
few months shipments of the
Bahamian beer have been sent to the
U.K. The Whitbread Beer Company
is handling its distribution and sales.
Kalik was launched on the
Bahamas in 1988. The local popula
tion took an instant liking to this very
first beer to be brewed in their own
country. A special beer with a taste
which (completely in line with
Frans Versteeg, still in his former
post as general manager of the Com
monwealth Brewery, addresses the
guests at the official start of Kalik
exports.
Managers of the Commonwealth
Brewery, together with government
representatives, watch the first cases
of Kalik being loaded for the journey
to the U.K.
Bahamian preference) is similar to
that of European beers.
Not only is Kalik appreciated on
the Bahamas. The two gold medals
1990 and 1991awarded during the
International Monde Selection,
prove that Kalik is a high quality
beer by international standards as
well.
Kalik is brewed on the Bahamas
by the Commonwealth Brewery in
Nassau. Heineken started construc
ting this brewery in 1985. Eighteen
months later the first brews were
produced: Guinness (under licence)
and Heineken beer.
For the past half year Hans van
Zon has been the new general ma
nager of the Common wealth Brew
ery. He succeeded Frans Versteeg
who was appointed Human Resour
ces Director at Heineken Nederlands
Beheer. Under Van Zon's leadership
exports of Kalik will be stimulated
further. One possible market being
studied is the U.S. state of Florida.
G. van Loo, previously assistant Area Marketing Manager Soft
Drinks, has been appointed Area Marketing Manager Africa. In addi
tion to his work for our soft drinks activities in Africa, Mr Van Loo's
responsibilities will also include the beer marketing activities of our
operating companies in Central Africa and lie de la Réunion.
Mr J.C. Banz has been appointed Director of Public Affairs.
He will be responsible within Corporate Marketing for identifying
new developments in the political, social and social-economic fields,
and for setting out the position and promoting the interests of our
business.
The newly appointed deputy director of P.T. Multi Bintang in
Indonesia is Mr E.J. Korthals Altes. He succeeds Mr R. Duursema
who has been appointed Controller within the Control department of
Corporate Finance Systems, Amsterdam.
Murphy's Brewery has identified
the world interest for Murphy's Stout
and is seizing the opportunities with
both hands. Several years ago
Whitbread introduced the black beer
in British pubs where it has been a
great success; sales of Murphy's
Irish Stout are climbing by the day.
United States
But consumer interest is growing
in the United States as well. The start
was a cautious one: in a number of
big cities on the U.S. eastern sea
board up-market Irish pubs were
visited by representatives of Van
Munching Co. (importers of
Heineken and Amstel Light). Pub
proprietors liked the sound of
Murphy's Irish Stout and included it
in their range. Meanwhile, the Cork-
brewed beer is also obtainable in
West coast cities: Los Angeles, San
Diego and San Francisco.
This expansion in distribution is
entirely due to the work of Van
Munching Co., says Bob Kenne
fick. 'That's a highly professional
organisation with outstanding sales
men who enjoy selling a little bit of
Ireland's culture.'
France
'There is a clearly noticeable trend
in Paris: beer drinkers are increasing
ly asking to be served stout. We now
supply Murphy's to some twenty
Irish pubs in the French capital.
Besides that, we're also represented
in a number of pubs in Brittany.'
Kennefick is convinced that the
Channel Tunnel will help Murphy's
to grow in France. French people
visiting Great Britain get to know
Murphy's Stout there and that pushes
up demand for the product in France.
Germany
In the land with twelve hundred
breweries and a distinct consumer
preference for its own national brews
it seems strange to be introducing a
speciality product like Murphy's.
Bob Kennefick explains: 'Don't for
get that Germans are crazy about
everything Irish. Music, food, pubs,
you name it. As long as it's Irish. In
Germany there are some 1,000 Irish
pubs which could sell Murphy's. So
I've got every confidence in our
latest export market.'
Reception in Cologne Town Hall.
Left to right: Anthony and Monica
Cooney of The Corronian, the first
pub in Cologne with Murphy's on
draught. Next to them: Jiirgen Keith;
Mayor of Cork Dennis Cregan;
Norbert Buager Burgomaster of
Cologne: Bob Kennefick; Tom Rice,
Cork City manager; and Tom
McLaughlin, Kenneth Walsh and
Gerry Whelan, all of Lady's Well
Irish Stout Trading GmbH.
At this moment Murphy's Irish
Stout is present in Germany on a
very modest scale. Four pubs in
Düsseldorf and one in Cologne offer
Murphy's on draught. Recently the
Cologne launch took place in the
presence of the mayors of the (twin
ned) cities of Cologne and Cork. The
end of November marked the official
introduction of Murphy's in Ger
many. Present at the ceremony was
the Irish ambassador in Germany,
Cork-bom Mr Patrick Murphy
Distribution
Specifically to serve the German
market a company called Lady's
Well Irish Stout Trading GmbH has
been set up. Its directors are Jiirgen
Keith, the Coca Cola bottler for the
Düsseldorf region, and Tom
McLaughlin, a pub proprietor in
Dusseldorf. It was McLaughlin who
reached the conclusion in August
1990 that the Irish pubs in Germany
needed a new brand of stout. He tra
velled to Cork, had a talk with Bob
Kennefick and general manager
Michael Foley and made agreements
about the introduction of Murphy's
Irish Stout in Germany. Tom
McLaughlin is very enthusiastic
about sales of Murphy's in the Irish
pubs, but he realises that success
largely depends on the pub owner's
faith in the product.
Future
Bob Kennefick sees an even big
ger future for exports of Murphy's. 'I
expect that some five years from
now we'll be able to export 75,000
hectolitres of Murphy's a year.' The
United Kingdom was the first mar
ket, later followed by the United
States and France. And now a cau
tious start in Germany.
But Bob Kennefick is already
looking ahead to other possible
export countries. At the end of
December Murphy's Brewery will in
any event be able to hoist the
(export) flag again, as that's when
the first shipment of kegs of stout
will be leaving Cork for Dubai,
Bahrain, Oman and Abu Dhabi.
