Keroche Bounces Back With Strong Sales And A Stronger Beer Brand

Naivasha-based brewer, Keroche Breweries forecasts stronger sales this year despite COVID-19 setbacks which hurt sales in 2020.

Keroche Breweries Chief Executive Officer Tabitha Karanja has said as the company expands its beer portfolio to extra strong beer category, it expects to pay taxes in excess of Kshs.1 billion annually.

The CEO however asked the government to put in place intervention measures that will help rescue the beer industry which has since been hard hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The call was informed by the government’s recent directive that halted the sale of beer in bars to contain the spread of Corona virus in the country.

She was however optimistic that the business will bounce back once the government eases the lockdown once the Covid positivity rate lowers.

Karanja voiced the company’s support on the government efforts to control the spread of the pandemic but urged for resumption of sale of alcohol while observing the social distance measures in bars to help save the industry from looming collapse.

On the new beer brand, she explained that its newly launched lager has an alcoholic strength of 10% and it’s the first locally produced beer in the extra strong category adding that the company aims to expand more to tap the growing niche in the local market.

The CEO said the brand has been well produced and crafted with latest technology which she added will help the company fill the wide gap in the extra strong beer category which previously was being imported.

The new alcoholic beverage to Keroche beer portfolio is also expected to stimulate economic viability of the local producers of sorghum and barley in the country as the country vows to buy the beer producing materials from the local market.

Keroche breweries has enjoyed a rapid growth in the local beer market and is currently the second largest alcoholic beverages producer in Kenya with a production capacity of 600,000 bottles per day.