Stroh Brewery Forges Additional Alliances in India

The Stroh Brewery Co., Detroit, has announced plans to expand the licensed production and sale of Stroh's brands in India. Through new alliances forged with two Indian manufacturing concerns, Stroh's Premium Quality American Lager Beer and Stroh's Super Strong Beer will be available in glass bottles throughout the country in early 1999.

These two Stroh brands have been produced under license in India since 1994 when Stroh signed a licensing agreement with Rajasthan Breweries Limited (RBL). Under this agreement, RBL produced, packaged, distributed and marketed the brands in aluminum cans throughout India. This month, Stroh signed additional agreements with two other Indian brewing companies, Delhi-based Mount Shivalik Industries, and Empee Distilleries & Breweries in Madras, to produce Stroh's Premium and Stroh's Super Strong beers in bottles.

"The new alliances Stroh has formed with two of India's largest quality brewers will allow Stroh's to be available to even more consumers," said Arinder Wadhwa, Stroh's Marketing & Sales representative for South Asia. "Now, with the introduction of glass packaging, we will have significant added sales opportunity throughout India."

Beer shipments in the Indian market are estimated at approximately 63.6 million dozen cases per year, and are growing at a rate of 12% to 15% per year. The approximate per capita consumption of beer in India is 0.5 L per year. By comparison, the approximate per capita consumption of beer in the U.S. is approximately 118 L per year.