Africa’s thirst for local brew

When Dutch brewer Heineken and British drinks group Diageo teamed up with a non-profit organisation to help African farmers grow sorghum, little did they realise that their social experiment would turn into a sustainable business. Heineken and Diageo, which owns the stout brand Guinness, started work with Brussels-based European Co-operative for Rural Development more than a year ago on a five-year project to encourage farmers to produce sorghum in Ghana and Sierra Leone. For both companies, which make beer as well as non-alcoholic drinks from malted barley throughout Africa, the project was a chance to develop local sources of agricultural raw materials and also to help local economies. Both companies have been importing barley into many of the African countries — the grain traditionally used to brew beer — to make their drinks. Although barley is one of the world’s most common grains, it is not widely grown in Africa since it grows best in countries with cooler climates such as Russia and Canada. But transportation costs and the rocketing price of malting barley, because of strong global demand, have made importing barley to Africa more expensive than ever. Hence the appeal of making beer with locally produced grains such as sorghum. Image source: vasatwiki.icrisat.org. > Continue.

News selected by Covalence | Region: Africa | Company: Diageo, Heineken | Source: Financial Times