Beer = big money
The past five years has seen an explosion in the variety of beer produced around the world. From IPAS and weissbier to pilsners and porters, beer lovers have more choice in front of them at supermarkets and bars than ever before.
The diversification of the sector has forced established brewhouses to up their games, both in terms of expanding their own offering and promoting the staple brands that have been used to commanding large market shares for years.
Mahou San Miguel falls into this category. Both its Mahou and San Miguel brands are home favourites in Spain, with the latter particularly popular in other parts of Europe, especially the UK.
Erik d’auchamp is responsible for the success of the €1.26 billion brewer’s international export business. A self-confessed beer geek, we talked at length about the broadening out of the beer category and how Mahou San Miguel is adapting its own portfolio to compete in such a busy market.
“It has become far more accessible and sophisticated,” he says. “Some of the barrel-aged products we are seeing currently I didn’t think were possible two decades ago. In some cases beer is competing with spirits, offering flavours that remind you of the drinks that used to be made in those barrels, like rum or whisky.”
Media is another industry undergoing constant, rapid change. Jonathan Dyble caught up Cyrus Saihan, Head of Digital Partnerships for the BBC, about the organisation’s latest speed reading experiment which could redefine the way it presents content to consumers.
In the automotive supply chain sphere, we get the inside track on two businesses proving their worth to several of the large OEMS – Baur Formschaumtechnik s.r.o and Uk-based Auto Fasteners, a company set up from scratch by its founder and current boss Scott Simpson. A story of perseverance, Simpson reveals how he has gone from storing product deliveries in his wardrobe to a fully professional warehouse setup.
Other exclusive insights this issue include interviews with Romanian haulier Dumagas, Saudi Arabia’s Etmam Logistics, the UAE’S Quality Architectural Systems and global design giant DP Façade.
Lanny Cohen, Chief Innovation Officer at French consulting firm Capgemini, is the first of our new Expert Eye columnists, discussing how enterprise can make the most of augmented and virtual reality, while our business travel section arrows in on Astana and Sardinia. Enjoy the issue!