MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Punta Arenas premium beer to the US, UK and Mexico

Chilean brewery Austral from Punta Arenas has announced it will begin exporting to the United States, Mexico and England. The company will market its premium Calafate, Yagun and Patagonia brands in select locations.

It has already made small incursions into the lager market in the aforementioned countries, and the plan is to expand its reach. Cerveza Austral President Andrés Herrera said "the idea is to be present in each country, in at least 30 specialized locales where our beers will be sold along with those of the rest of the world". Based in Punta Arenas, Region XII, the brewery began selling its products in the southern Argentine province of Santa Cruz in July of 2007. By the end of the year, it had expanded its presence to Río Gallegos and the surrounding area, as well as El Calefate. The goal for 2008 is to cover the whole province and claim 10 to 15% of the market there. The company currently sells some 200,000 hectoliters in the area. Herrera said the company is considering entering the market in other Argentine provinces with their specialized brands, if they have a comparative advantage. The competition from local lagers would be quite strong, however. In Chile, the plans are to strengthen the brewery's presence. It currently makes up for 1.5% of the total beer sales in the country and 8.5% of the premium market. In 2007, the company sold 72,000 hectoliters, bringing in12 million US dollars, a 15% increase in total volume sold over 2006. The goal for 2008 is to sell 85,000 hectoliters and bring in 15 million US dollars. The Santiago Times