Bralima Zaïre ready
for the year 2000
First step: modernisation of Kinshasa brewery
38
Bralima Brewery (Heineken's as
sociated company in Zaïre, Afri
ca) has been working hard
over the past year on a thorough mod
ernisation of its brewery in the capital
city of Kinshasa. 'La brasserie de l'an
deux mille' ('The brewery of the year
2000') was the slogan used to present
Bralima's modernised image to the pub
lic. As proof of Bralima's forward-look
ing policy the newly designed Primus
beer was also introduced. The bottles
with the ceramic brand name were re
placed after 65 years by bottles with
printed labels. The brewery's future-
oriented image appeals greatly to the
Zaïrese population. This is reflected in
the country's bars where many custom
ers do not ask for Primus but for a 'deux
mille' ('two thousand').
The modernisation of the brewery
in Kinshasa is unique for Central Africa.
Twelve new stainless steel apollo tanks
have been installed for fermentation
and storage. Each apollo has a capacity
of 2,500 hectolitres and is sixteen
metres high.
Label
The replacement of the ceramic-
branded bottles by bottles with printed
labels forms only one part of the total
renewal programme. The conversion
operation is particularly extensive, with
some 10 to 12 million bottles in circula
tion in the Kinshasa region alone. All
of them have to be replaced. With the
aid of a computer program it has been
calculated that all the old bottles in the
Kinshasa region can be replaced within
the space of one year.
Bralima's four other breweries will
be introducing the printed-label bottle
at a later stage. One reason for this
phased introduction is the sheer size of
the country. As the crow flies, the dis
tance from Kinshasa in the extreme
west of Zaïre to Bukavu in the extreme
east is as much as 2,000 kilometres!
Heavy transport between these two
towns can take as long as six months!
Lead
All these innovations have trans
formed Bralima Kinshasa into 'the brew
ery of the year 2000'. Bralima is not
only moving with its times but is even
taking the lead. The population, learn
ing about the modernisation from re
ports in newspapers and on television,
is responding with enthusiasm.
Bralima's initiative is seen as a major
contribution to the country's develop
ment and to the personal development
of its inhabitants.
In Zaïre the beer of the 21st century
is already on the market today. Ask any
one in Zaïre, and they'll be proud to
confirm.
THE WORLD OF HEINEKEN