This week is special for us at East African Breweries Plc (EABL). On December 14, 1922, the first batch of beer made from our then-makeshift brewery at Ruaraka was delivered to The Stanley.
The making of that brew 100 years ago was a painstaking venture. Charles Hurst, who founded the company with his brother George, had studied the manual that came with the equipment he had brought from London by ship. That beer was made with water from a well, with the most important ingredient being malt extracts.
Through ingenuity, innovation and agility, the company that would later become EABL – when it set up shop in Tanzania – started using locally-grown barley rather than import.
Now a publicly-listed company on the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE), EABL is among the top tax contributors in East Africa. Our business operates in seven countries, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania being our three major business units and in addition, we deploy a distribution model into the greater East African markets of South Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
As we mark a century of impacting society and contributing to the economic development of East Africa, we have taken time to reflect on the unique connection we have with our stakeholders. It is akin to driving, where we look at the mirrors to see where we are coming from while simultaneously looking forward to seeing where we are going.
Over 100 years, we have created a value chain that extends from the farmers who grow the barley and sorghum we use as raw materials, to transporters, distributors, retailers, our direct and indirect employees, and the people who serve the consumer at the table or the person who puts the bottle in a bag.
The eternal question for centenarians is usually: “What’s the secret to a long life?”
For EABL, it’s a combination of several things, the most important for me being innovation and resilience, our people and good governance. Combined, these organisation’s characteristics have enabled EABL to survive the chaos of the growing times.
Innovation has enabled us to cater to the needs of the consumer. With over 100 brands and sales in 7 countries in the region and beyond, our portfolio offers something for every taste and celebration.
We are driven to be Africa’s best brand builder, leading the way in premium drinks. Global or local, every one of our brands has a story. Many bear witness to the changing world over centuries, while others are products of our world today. All have a purpose and role to play in creating long-lasting connections with people.
And Tusker, our mother brand, has established the most enduring engagements from sports to the creative economy to arts and culture. Thanks to Tusker, over the last century, we not only have memories of our gallant sportsmen from football to darts to rugby and golf locally. What’s more – it has supported every Kenyan contingent to the Olympics – it’s no wonder Tusker is now one of the most-loved brands in Africa.
It is impossible to speak about innovation without reflecting on one of our biggest brands: Senator keg. Illicit brew is one of many issues in East Africa. In Kenya, it accounts for nearly 50 per cent of all beverage alcohol consumption across the region. In 2004, we partnered with the Kenya government to produce Senator our affordable lager, innovated to give locals access to safe, formal, tax-paid beer and thus encourage them away from the dangers of illicit alcohol. Producing this beer is a partnership with 45,000 Kenyan sorghum farmers, ensuring they not only have a source of food but also have a guaranteed market for their produce.
More recently, our innovation and resilience enabled us to overcome the Covid-19 disruption: creating new formats, building our e-commerce capability and driving last-mile distribution at scale.
Good governance has seen EABL through the pains of the pre-and post-independence days. When the wave of freedom came to Kenya, guided it to implement the Africanisation policy. Through this policy, our forefathers such as Kenneth Matiba steered this company to greater heights, recruiting and training local leaders and experts that emerged as the next legion of leaders at EABL and beyond.
Good governance has ensured that we abide by the laws and work with the authorities to make products that make Kenya proud.
Ultimately, a company lives to 100 because of people, especially those within it. They work hard by listening to our shareholders, customers and consumers while keeping our stakeholders happy and confident. People are the engine of EABL’s growth. EABL has over the years honed great talent that has gone ahead to become leaders in the public sector and the private, at home and abroad.
We have had several events this year to mark our centenary, and one of the most common questions is: “Where do you see the company in the next 10, 20, 50, 100 years?”
As we turn the leaf, sustainability is, for us, what will lead us there: by simply doing business the right way while working with communities at the points of their need. For example, while we have for many years focused on using less water in our operations, the adoption of specific goals means we can be held to account for what we have pledged to do.
A business that is merely after profit is a business without purpose and will not replicate its success over the long term. That’s why we have set targets in addressing climate change by using less fossil fuels, planting and growing trees, enabling society to consume alcohol responsibly, transitioning to a circular economy and sharing prosperity.
If we continue working, guided by these ideals, EABL will be there beyond 2100, strong as the jumbo that to date, is the everlasting mark of our first beer, Tusker.