Brooklyn, NY, January 18, 2007 - Aladdin Beverage announced the signing of an agreement with Devassa Brewery in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to import their brand to the US.
Trends within the beer industry suggest South American Beers are good investments for importers to make. SABMiller, for example, acquired Aguila, Cristal and Cusquena through a recent $9 billion purchase of Colombian-based Bavaria, one of the largest brewers in South America. Inbev is currently spending $1.1 million in advertising just in Florida alone for Brahma from Brazil, according to the Sun Sentinel.
Devassa is the fastest growing beer in Rio de Janeiro, where it is the beer of choice in Rio's finer establishments. Devassa has retained McCann Erickson, one of the top ad agencies in the world, to develop and coordinate the overall advertising and point of sale material for their brand in the US which will give the brand an edgy South American flavor. "This brand has all the features to really explode in the US. Devassa has already caught on in the UK and Europe because the package is great, the marketing support is superb and the taste is out of this world," states Ted O'Connor, President of Aladdin. O'Connor goes onto say, "We strongly believe Devassa has the ability to be one of the next great imports in the US."
Devassa is growing rapidly due to the popularity of the brand in the domestic Brazilian market. In just three years Devassa has gone from selling 6,000 liters per month to 90,000 liters per month. "The move to export to the US was a very easy decision for us because of the great success we have enjoyed here in Brazil; however we needed an US importer who had the same vision and drive as we do at Devassa Brewery. We were happy to sign an exclusive contract with Aladdin because it was the right fit," states Caio Sabino Scarpelli, Devassa Brewery Export Division Manager. Scarpelli goes onto say, "We strongly believe, with Aladdin behind the Devassa brand in the US, we can experience the same success in the US market as we are in the Brazilian market."
Aladdin Beverage has recently attracted the attention of several international breweries because of the success they have had with Macau Beer which they currently import to the US. Macau Beer is imported from Macau, located next to Hong Kong, and is enjoying a great deal of success in major metro markets in the US, like New York where sales are up over 30% from last year. Macau Beer is also from a part of the world which has received a lot of attention: Macau. Macau is considered the Las Vegas of Asia and has received a great deal of investment from some of the biggest casinos in the world including Steve Wynn's Wynn casino and The Sands.
According to the Brazilian embassy in Washington, DC, there are approximately 600,000 Brazilians in the US. Most reside in New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Florida. Also take into account that Latin Beer brands in the US have intense followings among the population the brand comes from.
Brazil is an exciting place and is the world's 6th largest industrial power. It is becoming more of an international power and brands coming from that region have been proven to have staying power.
About Aladdin Trading & Co.
Headquartered in New York City, Aladdin Trading is a leading fine craft beer and ale importer serving the North American markets. It is Aladdin's goal to be known as the top beer importer to North America, with only quality and forward-thinking brands in its portfolio. Our mission is to generate sustained growth for all the brands in our portfolio and generate maximum return on investments.