NEW: Kasteel Rubus Framboise (7%), the eternal summer beer. CEO Xavier Vanhonsebrouck and the Sales and Marketing team explain our latest taste innovation.
Xavier Vanhonsebrouck (CEO):
'Our brewery’s future is secured.’
When our competitors try to emulate us, we have to be ready with something new. That’s what I told the production department a year and a half ago. And then something new in the heavier fruit beer segment; that’s what we are known for after all. ‘Nowadays, our Kasteel beer brand is associated with Kasteel Rouge, being a strong fruit beer.
We looked at what red fruit people like eating the most. Cherries came in third place, our Kasteel Rouge, strawberries in second place and raspberries took the top spot. That’s why we based our beer on real raspberries; we use the juice to brew Kasteel Rubus Framboise.
From the product itself, to the look and feel and how we communicate it to the customer: everything fits. We created a great narrative for Kasteel Rouge, but this launch is unprecedented. After 32 years in the brewery, it’s phenomenal to see that drink retailers from home and abroad are calling us themselves to place their orders. The orders are flooding in, the hectolitres are flowing out. So, we are taking the next step with Kasteel Rubus Framboise and securing our brewery’s future.
Frédéric Boulez (Sales):
'Our customers are wildly enthusiastic.'
For the first time, we are organising roadshows with drink retailers to introduce our new beer to catering customers. We welcome them to a world filled with Kasteel Rubus Framboise.
Pop-up walls, runners, tables, tap systems, beer mats and table stands will all be given a Rubus look and feel to convince customers to place an order. And it works. Our customers are wildly enthusiastic about our new beer.
Florian De Leersnyder (Marketing):
'There will be no escaping Kasteel Rubus Framboise'
It’s the eternal summer beer but not in the sense that it’s only for summer. No, it is a beer that makes you think of an eternal summer with every sip. We made a conscious choice for the striking colour combination of purple-violet and our Kasteel yellow for our labels and supporting materials, which creates a subconscious association with the chosen colours and Kasteel Rubus Framboise.
After a while, consumers will spontaneously think of our beer when they see these colours on social media, when they appear in the streetscape or see them flash by on TV. Once they walk down the beer aisle in the shop, our packaging will immediately catch their eye. And that’s what we do it all for, after all.
We have a fully developed campaign ready to launch later this year. That should ensure that every Belgian sees or hears us. There will be no escaping Kasteel on squares, at stations as well as at events, on national TV and online. Finally, we have a brilliant social media campaign planned.
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I firmly believe in this product. With Kasteel Rubus Framboise, we are taking the next step and securing our brewery’s future.
Seven fun facts about Kasteel Rubus Framboise
- Kasteel Rubus Framboise is our seventh Kasteel beer. (*)
- The alcohol percentage of our new beer is seven.
- The number seven symbolises happiness, just like summer does.
- The eternal summer beer will fill kegs, bottles and cans.
- Rubus refers to the genus that the raspberry belongs to.
- Raspberries are many people’s favourite red fruit.
- Raspberries are sun-seekers par excellence, they grow best in sun-drenched spots.
(*) Our Kasteel family consists of Kasteel Donker, Kasteel Tripel, Kasteel Rouge, Kasteel Xtra, Kasteel Cuvée, Barista Chocolate Quad and Kasteel Rubus Framboise.
