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A little bit of France all over the world

This feature article was also published in the Q3 edition of 'NEWS' our quarterly magazine for shareholders. The year was 1664. In the city of Strasbourg in the Alsace region of France, Jérôme Hatt was granted a brewing patent. He went to work and not long after started commercial production of a beer that rapidly grew in popularity among the people of the gastronomy-loving city. These are the origins of Brasseries Kronenbourg, which has grown into France’s largest brewery, building throughout the centuries an immense brewing mastery, while maintaining its strong French heritage. Now, 350 years later, Brasseries Kronenbourg’s premium beer brand,Kronenbourg 1664, is available in 70 countries around the world, representing everything that is the French “Art de Vivre”, the art of enjoying life as the French do. This remarkable history is testament to Kronenbourg 1664’s success and the Carlsberg Group is delighted to mark the brewery’s350 anniversarywith special campaigns and celebrations in the year 2014. Brasseries Kronenbourg became part of the Carlsberg Group following the acquisition of Scottish & Newcastle in 2008. Manlio Sanna, International Marketing Director for Kronenbourg 1664 at Carlsberg, explains the importance of the brand for Carls-berg’s product portfolio: “Kronenbourg 1664 is the number one French beer in the world in terms of sales and has a unique position within Carlsberg’s portfo-lio. It is without doubt one of our premium brands and it is being activated on a global level through a well-coordinated set of mar-keting initiatives so that we’re able to effectively exploit its growth potential.” A TASTE OF FRENCH REFINEMENT The refined, subtle taste of Kronenbourg 1664 comes from its special recipe and its premium ingredients, including the Strisselspalt hop, which is unique to the Alsace region. This hop has historically been a strong symbol of the brand’s special heritage. But if the original Kronenbourg 1664 lager beer is the brand steeped in history, one of the more recent innovations is another rising star: sister variantKronenbourg 1664 Blanc. It is a wheat beer, which, with its modern, fruity and refreshing taste and a distinctive blue bottle, is becoming increasingly popular with beer drinkers throughout the world. Manlio Sanna comments on the newer variant: “Kronenbourg 1664 Blanc is now sold in 33 markets and, last year, it became one of the top 10 wheat beer brands globally.” The most recent launch is the alcohol-free beer “1664 Sans Alcool”. POSITIVE INTERNATIONAL PERFORMANCE In France, the Kronenbourg 1664 brand has grown consistently in recent years. It is also performing well in the Carlsberg Group’s Eastern and Western European regions. In Asia, the brand is seeing excellent growth in markets such as Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, mainland China and Taiwan. Sales in Canada and Africa are also growing strongly, and Kronenbourg 1664 is already one of the top premium beer brands in Africa. EMPHASISING THE FRENCHNESS OF THE BRAND The French essence of the brand is central to the marketing strategy of Kronenbourg. Three campaigns are being rolled out in 2014, and according to Manlio Sanna, all are based on some quintessential element of the French culture. “At the heart of the new campaigns is the central notion of the French way of enjoying moments of pleasure, but the campaigns were developed with local markets to respond to different consumer preferences in the different parts of the world. For instance, markets in South East Asia, such as Malaysia or Hong Kong, focus on slowing down the pace in order to enjoy some of the pleasures of life, while markets with a higher awareness of French culture, such as Canada, celebrate the enjoyment of a perfect experience, combining taste and style.” CELEBRATING A 350-YEAR LEGACY In 2014, Kronenbourg 1664 is celebrating 350 years of heritage, tradition and excellence. The 350-year anniversary theme has been widely activated across the world with special events for both consumers and customers. In December, a grand international celebration will gather customers and consumers from the brand’s most important markets. The event will take place in Paris at a prestigious location by the city’s beautiful Champs-Élysées, guests will experience a theme based on taste, creativity and know-how – the symbols of the Kronenbourg 1664 premium brand.  

Read more about Kronenbourg 1664 Blanc on the official website