The Olympic Games logo on Corona Cero non-alcoholic beer bottle caps, on a production line at the Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBEV) brewery, on April 23, 2024 in Leuven, Belgium (AFP/Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD)
The “zero alcohol” version of a major beer brand was chosen to sponsor the Olympic Games, a sign of the craze for this new type of “more responsible” consumption, in which all brewers have decided to invest.
“Corona Cero” (the Spanish “zero”) produced by the global giant AB InBev will be the “first sponsor beer” of the Olympic Games, for the 2024 edition this summer in Paris and until 2028, according to a partnership concluded at the start year with the International Olympic Committee.
AB InBev has not revealed the amount of its investment or the targeted sales objectives thanks to the unprecedented visibility that the operation will give to this flagship brand of the group, which also produces, among others, Stella Artois, Budweiser and Leffe.
Bottles of non-alcoholic beer “Corona Cero”, the first sponsor beer of the Paris-2024 Olympic Games, at the AB InBEV brewery, on April 23, 2024 in Louvain, Belgium (AFP/Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD)
Corona Cero will be manufactured and bottled in particular in the mega-factory in Louvain (central Belgium), where the Belgian-Brazilian group also has its head office. Production of this brand “will double in 2024 compared to 2023”, according to a spokesperson.
“Alcohol-free or low-alcohol, all the brewers are doing it,” Krishan Maudgal, director of the Belgian Brewers Federation, explains to AFP.
Including therefore the multiple brands established in Belgium, whose beer culture has been classified as an intangible heritage by UNESCO, a country renowned throughout the world for its abbey beers and other special beers with a high alcohol content.
“Twenty or thirty years ago it was more about increasing the alcohol level, now we have reversed the trend, we are lowering it,” continues Mr. Maudgal.
Bottles of non-alcoholic beer “Corona Cero” on a production line at the AB InBEV brewery, April 23, 2024 in Louvain, Belgium (AFP/Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD)
Against a backdrop of decline in beer consumption – a drop of 40% in twenty years in Belgium – according to him it is a question of “listening to the market” and adapting to consumption habits which have become “healthier and more responsible.
“Drink better, drink less… This trend among consumers in favor of moderation and well-being is observed everywhere. We must therefore give them the choice” and diversify the offer, underlines Andres Penate, one of the vice-presidents of AB InBev, who came on Tuesday to present the “Corona Cero” in Louvain.
– Better controlled “de-alcoholization” –
Steel tanks for beer production at the AB InBEV brewery, April 23, 202 in Louvain, Belgium (AFP/Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD)
On this occasion, the number one in the sector placed great emphasis on the development of beer “de-alcoholization” techniques, which today make it possible to much better preserve the aromas of the beverage. An opinion shared by the experts.
According to the specialized institute IWSR, the market for non-alcoholic or low-alcoholic drinks (in the wine, beer, cider, spirits category) today exceeds 13 billion dollars worldwide. And beer is by far the favorite product of “alcohol-free” fans.
In Europe alone, non-alcoholic beer is estimated to be worth $3 billion, and its sales continue to grow, with Spain and Germany leading the way.
The Stella Artois beer logo on the facade of the AB InBEV brewery, April 23, 202 in Louvain, Belgium (AFP/Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD)
In France, “consumer appeal has been growing for five to ten years and it is now an underlying trend”, argues Magali Filhue, general delegate of Brasseurs de France, stressing that sales represent around 5% of the beer market. beer in mass distribution.
From 1 or 2% to 7% on average depending on the geographic area, the niche is still very much a minority for the sector.
But it offers a reason for hope in this tormented period that the sector is going through.
Health crisis, energy crisis, inflation of raw materials, etc.: brewers have been hit hard in recent years, particularly in 2023 with the drop in consumer purchasing power.
The Olympic Games logo on cartons of Corona Cero non-alcoholic beer on a production line at the AB InBEV brewery, April 23, 202 in Leuven, Belgium (AFP/Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD)
Last year AB InBev saw its net profit fall by 6%, affected by a decline in the volumes of beers sold, particularly in the United States.
For its part, number two, the Dutch Heineken, reported this week “difficult and uncertain” prospects for its year 2024, while its sales last year also suffered from the context of high inflation.
© 2024 AFP
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