KBL targets female consumers with new Cider beer

A guest samples the new Sikera Premium Apple Cider during its launch in Mombasa. PHOTO | KEVIN ODIT | NMG

What you need to know:

  • Sikera Apple's introduction comes after the launch of Tusker Cider in 2016.
  • The brewer says it will continue to roll out a series of brands of cider beer.

Beer maker Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL) has launched a new brand of cider beer dubbed Sikera Apple as part of its plans to grow sales among female consumers.

It will retail at Sh150 for a 300ml bottle.

Its introduction comes after the launch of Tusker Cider in 2016. The brewer says it will continue to roll out a series of brands of cider beer.

KBL’s managing director Jane Karuku said Sikera Apple cider targets consumers aged between 20 to 35 years.

“We realised they needed something else,” she said.

Ms Joyce Kibe, head of innovation at KBL, said the product launch had been guided by its consumer research.

East Africa Breweries Limited, KBL’s parent company, has in the past few years introduced new alcoholic brands in the region, seeking to grow and diversify its product portfolio.

The strategy comes at a time when the market is witnessing increasingly diverse and sophisticated products, partly brought by the entry of new players including distributors of global liquor manufacturers.

The Nairobi Securities Exchange-listed firm is betting on the new products to acquire new customers and lift sales in the coming years.