For two long months last year, Lebanon was in turmoil as Israel used its military to try and secure
the return of two captured soldiers. Despite the bombardments, the transport disruptions, and
above all, the unpredictability of a country under fire, the team at Almaza Brewery kept all the
company's employees safe and well - and the beer rolling out.
The events happened so quickly that everybody was taken by surprise, says
Ronald Voorn, General Manager at Brasserie Almaza, a Heineken operating
company in Lebanon.
"At first we just didn't have any idea what was going to happen," says
Voorn. "After a few days the patterns became clearer - the targets, the
frequency. On the second day we decided to introduce emergency
measures - a local coordinator and a satellite telephone. And by then we
had our emergency measures in place."
Tony Bou Nassif, Purchasing and Logistics Manager at the Brasserie
Almaza also recalls the total surprise of the day. "We were in a
management meeting that day," he says. "My mother called to say she was
hearing gunfire in her district, which is below the presidential palace in
Beirut. I informed my colleagues. Then our Sales Director called to inform
us of the kidnapping of the Israeli soldiers."
The Almaza managers immediately set about implementing the
company's emergency measures, says Voorn. The emergency plan involved
two priorities: to ensure the safety and security of all the company's
employees, and to keep the business running. Employees who were crucial
to the daily operations of the brewery continued to come to work, while
others whose activities were not crucial to daily operations stayed at home.
But the next day, on Wednesday 13 July 2006, Rafic Hariri International
Airport, in southern Beirut, was bombed and the management team at
Almaza knew things were getting serious. Voorn made final arrangements
to install an emergency management team and sent the brewery
employees home. "After that the roads and crossroads were bombed," he
says, "and we were closed for two days."
Brasserie Almaza had been doing very well until the war, says Voorn. By
the end of June, the company had sold 15% more in cases and 30% in
volume than by the same time the previous year. They had also recently re
launched Almaza, their flagship local brand, which represents around 73%
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