Browar Belgia launches moments of contemplation to increase its market share
Pitched as 'a balance between modern technology and wisdom flowing from centuries,' 'Frater' comes with a marketing 'story' of a kind usually associated with premium spirit brands, such as Johnny Walker or Jack Daniels. Whether the brand's target - middle-income men aged between 25-45 - will buy the image, however, remains to be seen.
The launch of Frater, which is based on a recipe written down in 1949, but believed to date back to the 18th century, represents the last stage in a process that has been in the making for the best part of fifty years. While the monks of Szczyrzyc have, reportedly, nurtured plans to reproduce the beer ever since the recipe was found in the abbey's archives after the war, production was made impossible following the confiscation of the abbey's property by the Communist authorities, and which was not returned until 1993. It was on their own initiative that the abbey monks proposed a partnership with Browar Belgia, whose Belgian-based parent company, Palm Breweries, works with several monasteries, including Leffe, Grimbergen and Steenbrugge.
How close the resulting 'frater' brand may be to what was produced in the 18th century is, of course, somewhat difficult to establish. Jacek Sklarek, president of Slow Food Polska, for one, is skeptical, saying, "We doubt that a pasteurised beer sold in cans can really resemble a beer that was originally sold fresh."
Slow Food Polska, well known for its efforts in registering the mountain cheese 'Oscypek' as an EU regional product, has itself long entertained hopes of playing a part in the revival of the Cistercian recipe.
"We still hope that a fresh version of the recipe will be produced for local consumption at the Cistercian's still standing on-site brewery," Sklarek reveals, adding that Slow Food had hoped that the monks would have reaped more of the benefits of the beer's production, for, according to their contract with Palm Beer, they are only entitled to the brand's royalties.
Unfortunately, we were unable to obtain the point of view of abbey representatives on either matter. Browar Belgia's managing director, the aptly named Aleksander Chmielewski, however, is anxious to stress that, "Since there is no legal framework in Poland for co-operation between breweries and monasteries on the production of such beers, we have adhered to the Belgian legal framework, which we think is fair." Chmielewski continues, "The beer is sold in a can because 40 percent of the market is for canned beer."
Meanwhile, pitched as somehow imbued with Cistercian spirituality, Frater has been carefully positioned to make maximum profits. With market research showing that 65 percent of beer in Poland is consumed alone, the press marketing blurb has created the view that 'the Cistercian spirit is appreciated by a wide group of Poles,' and that it is 'a beer not for social drinking,' but an aid to quiet contemplation; a key to 'a moment's relief from daily matters.'
It remains to be seen, though, how many middle-income men aged between 25 and 45 will fancy a can with this particular spiritual self-image. "It's always difficult to prepare the marketing when you launch a new product. It's much easier to correct it once you've already got something to go on," says Chmielewski.
What is certain though, in his view, is that a small company such as Browar Belgia, which has only 4.1 percent of the market hasn't the marketing budget to compete directly with the three global concerns, Heineken, Żywiec and SAB Miller that control 80 percent of the market.
"We can't compete on that scale of advertising, so we need strong and innovative messages," he says, although he does point out that moving into production for private label in the 90s at least provided Browar Belgia with an income to fund such ventures, giving it an edge over its smaller competitors.
Asked whether either Browary Lubelskie SA, which has around three percent of the market, or Browar Strzelec, which has around two percent, might repeat Belgia's strategy, Chmielewski says, "Margins on private label are much smaller now than they were in the 90s. And, at least as far as I know, no other monastery recipes for beer have managed to survive."
Browar Belgia hopes to push its current four percent share of the market to five percent by the end of the year.
The launch of Frater, which is based on a recipe written down in 1949, but believed to date back to the 18th century, represents the last stage in a process that has been in the making for the best part of fifty years. While the monks of Szczyrzyc have, reportedly, nurtured plans to reproduce the beer ever since the recipe was found in the abbey's archives after the war, production was made impossible following the confiscation of the abbey's property by the Communist authorities, and which was not returned until 1993. It was on their own initiative that the abbey monks proposed a partnership with Browar Belgia, whose Belgian-based parent company, Palm Breweries, works with several monasteries, including Leffe, Grimbergen and Steenbrugge.
How close the resulting 'frater' brand may be to what was produced in the 18th century is, of course, somewhat difficult to establish. Jacek Sklarek, president of Slow Food Polska, for one, is skeptical, saying, "We doubt that a pasteurised beer sold in cans can really resemble a beer that was originally sold fresh."
Slow Food Polska, well known for its efforts in registering the mountain cheese 'Oscypek' as an EU regional product, has itself long entertained hopes of playing a part in the revival of the Cistercian recipe.
"We still hope that a fresh version of the recipe will be produced for local consumption at the Cistercian's still standing on-site brewery," Sklarek reveals, adding that Slow Food had hoped that the monks would have reaped more of the benefits of the beer's production, for, according to their contract with Palm Beer, they are only entitled to the brand's royalties.
Unfortunately, we were unable to obtain the point of view of abbey representatives on either matter. Browar Belgia's managing director, the aptly named Aleksander Chmielewski, however, is anxious to stress that, "Since there is no legal framework in Poland for co-operation between breweries and monasteries on the production of such beers, we have adhered to the Belgian legal framework, which we think is fair." Chmielewski continues, "The beer is sold in a can because 40 percent of the market is for canned beer."
Meanwhile, pitched as somehow imbued with Cistercian spirituality, Frater has been carefully positioned to make maximum profits. With market research showing that 65 percent of beer in Poland is consumed alone, the press marketing blurb has created the view that 'the Cistercian spirit is appreciated by a wide group of Poles,' and that it is 'a beer not for social drinking,' but an aid to quiet contemplation; a key to 'a moment's relief from daily matters.'
It remains to be seen, though, how many middle-income men aged between 25 and 45 will fancy a can with this particular spiritual self-image. "It's always difficult to prepare the marketing when you launch a new product. It's much easier to correct it once you've already got something to go on," says Chmielewski.
What is certain though, in his view, is that a small company such as Browar Belgia, which has only 4.1 percent of the market hasn't the marketing budget to compete directly with the three global concerns, Heineken, Żywiec and SAB Miller that control 80 percent of the market.
"We can't compete on that scale of advertising, so we need strong and innovative messages," he says, although he does point out that moving into production for private label in the 90s at least provided Browar Belgia with an income to fund such ventures, giving it an edge over its smaller competitors.
Asked whether either Browary Lubelskie SA, which has around three percent of the market, or Browar Strzelec, which has around two percent, might repeat Belgia's strategy, Chmielewski says, "Margins on private label are much smaller now than they were in the 90s. And, at least as far as I know, no other monastery recipes for beer have managed to survive."
Browar Belgia hopes to push its current four percent share of the market to five percent by the end of the year.
