Backus & Johnston aims to exports Cusquena beer to Australia in 2010

Peruvian brewery Backus & Johnston has announced that it plans to begin exporting its Cusquena brand of beer to Australia in 2010. The firm currently exports to Chile, the US, the UK, Spain and Japan. Backus's exports increased 22% between January and August 2009 and the firm hopes to sell 5mn litres by the end of 2009. In Chile alone, Backus's sales increased 25% in the first eight months of 2009, while sales in the UK increased 40%.

Backus's products are now sold in 1,250 establishments in Chile, of which 400 are supermarkets, as well as in 3,500 establishments in the UK; this is an increase of 30% compared to in 2008. Backus & Johnston only exports between 2% and 3% of its production. Cusquena represents 75% of the exports, while Cristal represents 25%. Around 60% of the firm's exports currently go to the US and the UK markets and the aim is to increase UK exports five times over by 2014.

Publication: Esmerk - News monitoring
Provider: Esmerk
September 1, 2009

Peusac looks for exports of fancy food products

Peusac, manufacturer of the jelly brand Universal, is targeting the external market and plans to be present on October as expositor in Anuga, food & drink fair trade to be held in Germany. The firm has recently been expositor in the fair trade Summer Fancy Food on New York.

Peusac intends to be launching new products in Anuga, such as ice cream made of lucuma, porridge and chicha morada. Idea is to be exporting not only to Spain, Italy and the US, but to all Latin America and further Europe. Turnover has been of US$8mil in 2008, says Dorian Zea, exports manager Peusac, forecasting a growth of 25% for 2009. Currently, Peusac counts with over 30 products, however Universal continues as its core business accounting 70% of production.

Publication: SABI - Business News
Provider: South American Business Information
August 19, 2009

Chocolates La Iberica looks to increase presence locally and in the US

Peruvian chocolate firm Chocolates La Iberica, which is based in the region of Arequipa, has reported that it is aiming to increase its popularity among local consumers, since it is currently targeted mainly at tourists. Some 50% of the firms sales are currently in Arequipa, where it has a chain of five shops.

However, the firm is planning to open more shops in the new shopping malls that are being constructed in Lima and Huancayo, notably the Plaza Norte and Real Plaza Centro Civico, as well as the Mall Aventura Plaza de Arequipa. Over the last two years, Chocolates La Iberica has invested USD 2mn (EUR 1.41mn) in machinery and equipment, which has assured it will be able to satisfy demand for the next ten years.

As well as increasing its presence in Peru, the firm also plans to begin exporting to Chile and the US in 2010. It is currently in talks with firms that manage Peruvian and South American products in the US. Chocolates La Iberica employs between 250 and 300 people in Peru and produces around 200 different chocolate products

Publication: Esmerk - News monitoring
Provider: Esmerk
August 11, 2009

Jose R. Lindley sticking to investment guns

Corporacion Jose R. Lindley will invest US$50mil in 2009 despite the current economic climate, spending on expanding production lines, packaging and cold storage, explains the Peruvian group’s general director, Johnny Lindley. Preliminary talks regarding credit are going well, says Lindley, the family member currently at the reins of the drinks group.

The main project for the corporation in 2009 is that of constructing a glass-blowing plant (also featuring plastic-bottle production) in Santa Rosa, Trujillo, at a cost of US$40mil. Said plant could become operative in 2010. The group has plants in Chiclayo, Sullana (Piura), Iquitos (Loreto), Trujillo (La Libertad), Cusco, Ica, Arequipa and Lima (Cercado, Callao, San Juan de Lurigancho and Rimac) as well as a distribution centre in Jauja (Junin).

Publication: SABI - Business News
Provider: South American Business Information
January 29, 2009

Nestle, Coca Cola, launched Inka Kola flavoured ice cream

Nestle and Coca-Cola have set up partnership for launching a new ice cream in Peru, with the flavour of the carbonated beverage Inca Kola, which took nine months to be developed. The corporations are investing US$500,000 in the new product marketing, hoping it will be as successful as other Coca-Cola branded products.

Johnny Lindley, general manager Corporacion Jose R. Lindley, firm responsible for manufacturing, commercializing and distributing Coca-Cola products, pointed out the best way to face crisis is being solid and launching innovative products. The firm is directing US$50mil during 2009 in expansion of production lines, cooling and packaging equipment. Nestle has invested US$5mil in the launch of 20 new products since October 2008, among them figures the limited edition of Inca Kola, which could be promoted to the firm's brands portfolio depending on its performance

Publication: SABI - Business News
Provider: South American Business Information
February 2, 2009

Galletera del Norte expanding plant

Galletera del Norte, part of Grupo Salomon, is close to completing a US$5mil expansion of its plant in Ate-Vitarte. The Peruvian biscuit-manufacturer's installations are growing by 25% to meet with growing demand and a raft of new launches (over ten a year).

Leandro Mariategui, general director of Galletera del Norte, states that the firm will be looking to enter new markets and to consolidate its presence in southern Peru (Arequipa, Puno and Cusco). The firm reached out to Chile early this year and is also present in Ecuador now. The company has invested US$2.5mil in doubling its pannetoni production too.

Publication: SABI - Business News
Provider: South American Business Information
Date: October 30, 2008

Cusquena sales soaring worldwide

Sales of the Peruvian beer Cusquena in Chile grew by 270% in the first three quarters of 2008 compared to January-September 2007, states Richard Gallagher, director of exports at Backus. A study by Nielsen suggests that Cusquena has achieved 70%-plus penetration at Santiago de Chile supermarkets. In 2007, Backus and Chile's Vina Concha y Toro began a commercial relationship; in April 2008, the Backus brand Cusquena was presented in Chilean society as a premium beer. It is also available in Valparaiso and Vina del Mar. Cusquena sales rose 45% in the US in the first three quarters of 2008 and by 15% in both Spain and Britain in the same period. This year, Cusquena's home-town plant in Cusco, Ciudad Imperial, is celebrating its one-hundredth birthday.

Publication: SABI - Business News
Provider: South American Business Information
Date: October 9, 2008

California investors eye Peru's dairy & biodiesel sectors

A group of businesspeople of the Greater San José Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (GSJHCC) in California, USA, is planning to invest 33 million dollars in Peru's dairy, manufacturing and biodiesel sectors, its executive director Carlos Figueroa announced today.

Figueroa explained that the San José Hispanic Chamber of Commerce invests in profitable projects in a joint effort with other companies.

He said the GSJHCC is interested in building a dairy plant, through a joint venture, which will require an investment of between 12 and 15 million dollars.

"In this occasion, we have met with stockbreeders from Trujillo (La Libertad), and then we will visit Arequipa because in one of these cities we plan to build the plant", he told Andina news agency.

The Greater San José Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (GSJHCC) is a democratic, open, transparent, membership-driven, entrepreneurial organization committed to serving the needs of the varied business community in the San Jose Area.

Publication: Andina - English Newswire
Provider: Andina
Date: September 5, 2008

King Kong, traditional Peruvian pastry likely to be exported to Mexico

King Kong, traditional Peruvian pastry likely to be exported to Mexico. Photo/Andina/Archive Lima, Aug. 26 (ANDINA).- Peruvian San Roque company plans to export this year to Mexico the traditional pastry of Lambayeque called "king kong", that consists of several sheets of a type of shortbread stuffed with manjar blanco, peanuts and cooked fruits such as pineapple, reported today the manager of the company, Jorge Piscoya.
Peru's government also shows expectations for a possible exportation of this product to South American countries.

Piscoya emphasized that after the successful exportation of "king kong" to the US market, the product has also been offered to the Peruvian communities in Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Sweden, Switzerland and Japan.

"After great difficulties, we are sending to Japan half a ton monthly", he added.

Publication: Andina - English Newswire
Provider: Andina
Date: August 27, 2008

Kraft hopes Lacta can clip Nestle's chocolate wings

Last November, Jose Antonio Luna, marketing director at Nestle Peru, estimated that the chocolate market nationally would grow by 20% in 2008. Nestle has a 40% share of a market that produces 13,000 m tons of chocolate per annum but will soon have to do battle with Kraft.

Kraft, which already produces bars such as Mostro, Dona Pepa and Cua Cua, is entering the tablet-style chocolate segment 70% dominated by Nestle. It will do so with its Lacta brand, explains Carlos Palomino, snacks boss at the firm locally.

Publication: SABI - Business News
Provider: South American Business Information
Date: April 3, 2008

Dasani directed at healthy flavoured-water favourers

In 2006, Coca-Cola noted that Peruvian consumption of still water was on the rise as health concerns came to the forefront and it also discovered that many people like their water flavoured. The Coca-Cola product Dasani is perfect for such people.

New products boss for the drinks colossus in Peru, Carlos Pizarro explains that sales for the water product rose 80% in 2007 and that they should advance by another 20% this year. Dasani also features added vitamins and minerals. The drink ranks second within the still gas segment behind Ajegroup's Free Light with a 40% share of the market; however, Coca-Cola has a 44% share of the overall water market, ahead of Aje's 35%.

Publication: SABI - Business News
Provider: South American Business Information
Date: March 17, 2008

Backus Plans $250 Mln Investments 2007-2008

Peruvian beer producer Union de Cervecerias Peruanas Backus & Johnston SA plans $250 mln (176.8 mln euro) investments in 2007 and 2008, aimed basically at buying modern equipment, general manager Roberto Priday said on September 25, 2007.

With the investments Backus seeks to increase its production and distribution capacity.

With the new allocation, the total investments made by the company in the period since 2005 when it passed under the control of UK-South African brewer SABMiller, will reach $500 mln (353.6 mln euro).

Backus has recently invested $12 mln (8.5 mln euro) to renew the equipment in its beer plant near Motupe, in the western Lambayeque region.

[Editor's note: SABMiller announced on January 18, 2007 plans to invest $1.8 bln (1.273 bln euro) in expansion in South America between 2007 to 2011, encouraged by the rising sales in the region. The company will initially focus on expansion in Colombia and Peru.]

Publication: Business Digest
Provider: AII Data Processing Ltd.
Date: September 26, 2007

Peruvian Ajegroup Posts $60 Mln Investment Since Start-2007

Peruvian soft drinks maker Ajegroup posted a total investment of $60 mln (44 mln euro) in its 22 production plants throughout the world since the beginning of 2007, the company’s corporate affairs and communications director, Alfredo Paredes, said on August 30, 2007.

The investment planned by the company for full-year 2007 stands at $76 mln (51 mln euro).

Ajegroup is present in Mexico, Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador, Central America, Thailand and Colombia. Ajegroup entered Colombia a month ago with the product Big Cola.

At the end of August 2007 the company will introduce on the Mexican market a line of citrus juices with vitamins under the brand Big Citrus Punch. In this market segment the company has no competitors in Mexico and thus it will gain a 100-pct market share from scratch. In Peru this line of citrus juices is being sold under the brand Cifrut Citrus Punch for seven months.

Ajegroup's Mexican unit, Ajemex, has four soft drinks manufacturing plants in the country. Ajemex has an 8.0 pct market share on the Mexican soft drinks market. Mexico is the world's biggest consumer of soft drinks per capita and the second largest in beverage production.

Publication: Business Digest
Provider: AII Data Processing Ltd.
Date: August 31, 2007

Peru Pisco, Wine Exports At $668,000 H1 2007

The exports of pisco and wine from Peru stood at $668,000 (489,000 euro) in the first half of 2007, soaring 123 pct year-on-year, the country's association of exporters Adex said on July 26, 2007.

The exports of pisco stood at $364,107 (266,550 euro), while the exports of wine totalled $303,911 (222,500 euro).

The United States was the leading buyer of pisco and wine from Peru for January to June 2007.

The sales of pisco were mainly directed to the United States, Chile, Colombia, Argentina, Spain, France, Germany, Japan, Canada and Mexico.

Peruvian wine exports were mainly directed to the United States, Guatemala, France, Canada, Japan and Switzerland.

Pisco is a unique sort of brandy which is highly popular in Chile and Peru. It is made from a special variety of white muscat grapes, which grow in the region of Pisco, western Peru, and in the Elqui Valley, central Chile.

Publication: Business Digest
Provider: AII Data Processing Ltd.
Date: July 27, 2007

Chile expands import of Peruvian pisco

Chile has surpassed the US in the import of Peruvian pisco (distilled liquor). From January to May this year, Peru exported 31 percent of its pisco production to Chile and 30 percent to the US.

Peruvian exports of pisco totaled USD 313,533 from January to May, an increase of 239 percent if compared with equal period of 2006 when exports reached USD 92,613.

Publication: BIS - Business Information Systems
Provider: Business Information Systems
Date: July 17, 2007