Fosters Beer To Be Uncorked Soon

Foster Brewing Group of Australia plans to launch its Fosters beer in the country this summer.

The beer, one of the many multinational brands to be rolled out in India along with San Miguel and Carlsberg, will mostly be positioned at the premium end of the market. Pradeep Gidwani, vice-president, marketing and sales of Fosters India Ltd, said the company is working on the pricing.

Fosters is one of Australias largest selling beers and is the current sponsor of the Australian cricket team now touring India.

Gidwani said the Indian beer market holds a lot of promise and competition from both domestic and international players. The current market growth is 15 per cent per annum.

 

Foster Brewing Group has established a 74:26 joint venture with Kothari Industrial Corporation called Fosters India to make and market its brand. The company is constructing a 35-million litre brewery in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, which is expected to be ready soon.

The first phase will have a capacity of 10-million litre. The company has invested $18 million in the plant. Fosters entry will be followed by that of Carlsberg, which will market its brands through the UB group.

The Carlsberg beer will be made at UBs Bombay Breweries at Taloja, Maharashtra. San Miguel, the Philippine beer major, has tied up with Associated Breweries of Mumbai, which manufactures London Pilsner.

The other beer majors waiting to enter India are Heineke and Budweiser, both of Germany.

Foster operates 18 breweries world-wide and is a major force in Britain, where nearly one million pints a day are consumed.