South African Breweries (SAB) said on Tuesday it is to launch a new premium brand — Dreher Premium Lager — into the South African market.
This comes hot on the heels of the successful introduction of Grolsch into the local market.
As part of its European expansion, global brewing giant SABMiller purchased the rights to the Hungarian Dreher brand in 1993. Now, SAB will brew Dreher Premium Lager under licence in South Africa as an extension of the Dreher range of beers.
“This is testimony to our commitment to continue providing the right brand portfolio for our customers and great brand choices for consumers,” said SAB managing director Tony van Kralingen.
“The introduction of Dreher is part of our long-term strategy to provide consumers with diverse and interesting alternatives that will appeal to the premium beer target market,” he said.
He added that the beer market has historically been resilient in tough economic times and it is likely to perform similarly in the current economic climate.
“We see sustainable opportunities in the premium market, even though the sector’s growth rate has softened more recently,” he added.
Ian Penhale, SAB’s marketing director, says the brewer’s brand introductions are dependent upon consumer-based insights and successful assessment of various potential opportunities.
“In the case of Dreher, we determined that there was an opportunity to provide a mid-priced brand for discerning consumers who appreciate the craftsmanship inherent in premium-quality brews.
“Dreher is a smooth, finely flavoured lager with a typically European full-malt recipe and distinctive brewing style. The lager-style beer is triple-hopped, with three different types of hops added at different stages of the brewing process, resulting in a distinctive aroma, flavour and fine bittering,” he explained.
Dreher Premium Lager will be available in 350ml non-returnable bottles through on- and off-trade premises from October 1.
This brings the total number of premium brands in the SAB stable to seven, and its total brand portfolio to 16. SAB today has over 60% more brands in its portfolio than it did in 2000.
SAB will brew Dreher Premium Lager initially at the Alrode brewery in Gauteng. — I-Net Bridge