NB PLC: Bringing revolution to the alcohol beverage market

Chinwe Odita

NB PLC is known for its excellent products in the alcoholic beverage industry but it recently also waded into the wines and spirit market with it’s acquisition of Distell Nigeria, producers of brands like Chamdor, Amarula, Bains Whiskey, 4th Street red wine etc.

This was made known to journalists during the company’s pre-AGM media briefing in Lagos yesterday.

The company is also quite strong in the non alcoholic drinks sector. It has brands like Maltina, Amstel Malta, Fayrouz etc and has expanded these brands with various variants. The company also makes a bitters known as Ace which has shot to the top 5 in that category.

Nevertheless, not many people know that NB PLC support the Nigerian fashion industry, educational sector, indigenous art, music, culture and
heritage as well as football and even food.

The company which is a subsidiary of Heineken N.V. of the Netherlands, collaborated with Afrozones to host the first ever Nigerian leg of a series of Pre-Grammy parties in honour of Nigerian rapper To be Nwigwe, a Grammy Award nominee.

The company also sponsored the 2023 Heineken Lagos Fashion week which coincided with the 150th year anniversary of Heineken. NB PLC’s Goldberg lager also sponsored the 2023 Ojude Oba and Osun Osogbo festivals, proving it’s relentless support of indigenous art, culture and heritage of the Nigerian people.

In the words of the Managing Director, Mr. Hans Essadi, during the company’s pre -AGM media briefing,”we believe in the long term and Nigeria is the largest economy in Africa”.

NB PLC has also supported musical jams and festivals like the Rave Warri Summer Slam, Rave Independence Fest and Dance Club.

The company through it’s Tiger lager sponsored the Tiger Street Food events and the Tiger Uncaged Experience that gave lucky consumers the opportunity to visit Singapore.

NB PLC is also a company that takes corporate social responsibility very serious. To reduce the effects of environmental degradation, the company signed a 15 year solar power purchase agreement with Daystar Power Energy Solutions, an integrated energy development company that will deliver customized hybrid solar power solutions that will cover 42% of the daytime electricity needs of NB PLC’S Lagos brewery and the Corporate Head Office.

Under the terms of the agreement, Daystar will install and operate a 4.2MWp solar plant with 2MWh battery storage system, positioning the installation as one of the largest solar and battery storage projects for an industrial manufacturer in Nigeria.

The hybrid solar solution is expected to reduce Lagos brewery dependence on diesel generators by displacing 31.4 million litres of diesel and an estimated 84,758 tons of CO2 over the lifetime of the installation.

The company collaborated with the Industrial Training Fund to scale up it’s vocational skills training for 1000 young Nigerians in 24 states and the FCT, investing N100m to promote entrepreneurship and financial independence in disadvantaged communities.

Also the company through it’s NB-Felix Ohiwerei Educational Trust Fund, sustained it’s support of the development of the Nigerian educational sector by organizing the 9th edition of their Maltina Teacher of the Year (MTOY) competition. In total the company celebrated 30 state champions and completed the construction of a block of classrooms with offices in Federal Government College, Jos.

So far The Maltina Teacher of the year initiative has recognized and rewarded a total of 241 teachers nationwide.The company intends to recognize and reward state champions going forward , according to Mrs Sade Morgan, the Corporate Affairs Director of NB PLC.

She called on all committed teachers nationwide to gear up for the 2024 Maltina Teacher of the year competition.

NB PLC is committed to preventing harmful alcohol use. It started the “Brew a Better World” an initiative aimed at raising awareness on the dangers of drinking while pregnant and as such, discourage alcohol consumption among pregnant women.

Through this initiative, in partnership with Health Stream Medicare and TLJ Impact Company, NB PLC directly trained 220 health care workers (HCWs), 147 Traditional birth attendants and 304 Pregnant Women in 9 primary health centers, on the dangers of alcohol consumption during pregnancy while indirectly reaching over 50000 pregnant women in 67 local government areas across 3 geo- political zones with the most prevalent reports of alcohol consumption by pregnant women in Nigeria.

In partnership with Beer Sectoral Group (BSG) of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), NB PLC continued it’s advocacy on discouraging drink driving with the” Don’t Drink and Drive Campaign of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC). The company organized rallies in two of the largest commercial motor parks in Lagos, Ojota and Oshodi Motor Garages. Commercial drivers were educated on the dangers of alcohol abuse.

NB PLC does not leave out it’s distributors in its reward system and it is the only company in Nigeria that sponsors her key distributors to world sporting events like The Olympics, UEFA Champions Finals and Formulary One Car Race competitions .

At the pre-AGM Media briefing yesterday, the company through it’s Corporate Affairs Director, Mrs Sade Morgan , promised to look into rewarding journalists who carry out their duties with integrity and discipline.

NB PLC believes in Nigeria and is here for the long haul irrespective of other manufacturing companies leaving the country because of the challenging and difficult operating environment.