Fans of imported beers are about to get a taste of Africa after one of its most famous brands won a distribution deal in the UK.
Kenyan beer Tusker, which is being launched into the burgeoning brewed-at-source sector, is made from the highest quality malted barley grown in the Rift Valley and has won a fan base with British backpackers.
The beer will hit shelves in independent cash & carry outlets before Christmas, while distributor Surfax is expecting it to be available in a couple of the multiples by next spring.
Surfax predicts the newcomer, which comes in 500ml bottles (rsp: £1.45), will clock up sales of £3.5m in its first year.
Marketing director Peter Karsten said: “We hope to make a success story out of the expected listings in the multiples and thereby help drive Tusker into more outlets, although, being a niche product, it will not work everywhere.”
With its clean and crisp taste, Tusker, which has a heritage dating back to 1922, is being positioned as an ideal food accompaniment. It is brewed by East African Breweries and accounts for more than 30% of the Kenyan beer market, according to Surfax.
There is a buzz around the speciality sector at the moment, with Asda setting up dedicated bays in a number of stores and Morrisons soon to reveal its much-talked about new-look bottled beer section.
Lisa Riley

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