Monday, May 4, 2009

Introducing White Bull Lager, Southern Sudan's first locally-produced beer


Another Juba first!

From their release:

Southern Sudan Beverages Proudly Introduces White Bull Lager!

JUBA -- Southern Sudan Beverages Ltd, (SSBL) is proud to introduce Southern Sudan’s first locally produced beer, White Bull Lager. White Bull Lager is a carefully crafted beer, specifically brewed to meet the tastes of the Southern Sudanese consumer. It is the culmination of several years’ planning, testing, delivery-process development, local partnership building, and most importantly, quality assurance second to none.

White Bull Lager is an easily recognized symbol for the people of Southern Sudan; it has an important status in the many cultures of this land and promotes the positive feelings of celebration, success and peace. It is a culturally treasured symbol that the team at SSBL respects and admires.

SSBL’s team spent years getting to know the Southern Sudan consumer, their tastes, their demands, and their expectations in a quality beer. Our team understands that the consumer wants a product they can call ‘Made in Southern Sudan’, but they also demand the high quality of a globally-recognized product. SSBL is proud to say we’ve more than met those criteria in our White Bull Lager.

Our products’ motto means more than just “Celebrating Peace and Prosperity.” It is a snapshot of the collective will of every Southern Sudanese we’ve met. An emerging and diverse community like Southern Sudan has had its challenges, but what’s important is that there is an intense set of common ambitions throughout the country: a desire for peace, prosperity, a need for celebration and most importantly a strong hope in our future. SSBL shares those hopes and dreams.

SSBL’s new beverage plant situated in Juba, and is a pioneer in developing an indigenous manufacturing capability in Southern Sudan. SSBL is a subsidiary of SABMiller, Plc. one of the leading international beverage businesses, who, to date, has invested in 35 operations across Africa.

“The introduction of White Bull Lager marks a proud day for both the people of Southern Sudan and Southern Sudan Beverages,” says Mr. Ian Alsworth-Elvey, Managing Director of Southern Sudan Beverage Ltd (subsidiary of SABMiller plc). “We’ve only just emerged from civil strife and already we’re showing the world that Southern Sudan can produce a product that can stand side-by-side with any in the world. It’s a remarkable achievement.”

This new facility offers the initial capacity to brew 180 000hl of clear beer and 60 000hl of carbonated soft drinks, annually. Brewing operations have been underway since February 2009 and production of soft drinks will commence shortly. The local Juba community has a land lease agreement with SABMiller that will ensure they receive royalties from the manufacturing development, the first of its kind in Southern Sudan.

The community surrounding the facility will receive a further enhancement to the quality of their lives through access to clean, safe water from the Nile, which is the main water source for manufacture by the business.

The approximate US$37m investment has considerably more than an economic impact as it will create employment for hundreds of Sudanese locals once manufacturing commences and has already employed a large number of skilled labour in the construction of the plant. Further investments are also planned to upweight capacity and develop the route to market assets and capability during the next year

We believe that through the strength of our brands, operational capability and investment for growth, we can ensure a sustainable and growing business that also benefits the communities we operate in.

DR&A is proud to be a part of this project's historic effort in Southern Sudan.

A hearty congratulations to the whole SSBL and SABMiller team on this historic and momentous occasion.

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