Friday, March 29, 2024

Nigeria wins deal to produce local wine under S/African brand

Uba Group

Nigeria has won a production deal worth millions of dollars with the unveiling of 4th Street, the first-locally produced non-alcoholic wine under the Distel Africa brand.

The development, observers said, would be a boost for foreign direct investment.

Distel Africa is originally a South African based company with over 20 product lines.

At the official launch in Lagos, at the weekend, Steve Ighorimoto, Managing Director, Distel Wine and Spirit Nigeria Limited, said that it had far reaching implications for the economy both in the short and longer term.

Ighorimoto described it as a major feat for Nigeria, saying that it would help in creating both direct and indirect employment as well as capacity for socio-economic development.

He said, “We are really excited that Nigeria was the first country to earn the opportunity to produce this fruit wine locally across Africa.

“The potential for job creation is really massive. What that means is that we are the ones leading the way for this new product offering in the Distel cohort of brands.”

According to him, the outcome of a research and development effort informed the decision to launch out.

“We did a lot of research and discovered that in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic the alcoholic brands across the world, which hitherto netted over $10billion in terms of consumption, were dwindling thus giving rise for the consumption of non-alcoholic drinks. This is why we decided to venture into this space.

“The 4th Street wine is specially crafted for our population, wellbeing, and for the benefit of our population. The company, incorporated in March 2018, began its local production in 2019 and ever since we have been moving from one product or the other.

“We have over 20 cohorts of brands that are doing very well in the market currently. The 4th Street non-alcoholic wine is not condensates but fresh fruits, including grapes, mostly sourced locally.

“As part of our commitment to the Nigerian market, the company invested over $10million in the last three years and we’re not resting on our oars.”

Kushilla Thomas, Marketing Director, Distel Africa, said, “Nigeria is the first market to produce this locally across Africa. The choice of Nigeria was deliberate because of her vibrant youth population. 4th Street is a great brand. Nigeria has got the vibes and so we’re super excited to produce this wine here.

“Our payoff is ‘go forth and conquer,’ which is why we’re putting in a magical consumer programme to drive activities for the creation of awareness.”

Also, Vireshree Naidoo, Marketing Lead, West Africa, Distel, said, “We are hoping to take the product outside Nigeria anytime soon such as Mozambique, Kenya, and many others.”

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