Bacardi thinks fashion, Heineken cuts water consumption, and more beverage bites

Bacardi’s new VP of Fashion​​

Bacardi has created a new position, Vice President of Fashion, to help the company’s portfolio of spirits gain further ground in the fashion world.

Akiko Maeda is working with Bacardi’s marketing and commercial departments to deliver events and campaigns with key people in the fashion industry.

Maeda’s previous position was as vice president of product and platform development for IMG Worldwide’s fashion arm. This job involved advising emerging designers on media strategies, sales and financial planning.

Maeda, who is originally from Tokyo and fluent in both Japanese and English, is working from the Bacardi headquarters in Hamilton, Bermuda.

Heineken saves ​​€​​75m by reducing water and energy consumption​​

Heineken is aiming to cut water use to 3.5hl per hectolitre of beer by 2020, the company said as it released its 2014 sustainability report yesterday.

Average water use across the company’s 160 breweries was reduced to 3.9hl of water per hectolitre of beer last year. This is the first time the figure has fallen below 4hl, and means the brewer has reached its 2015 target a year ahead of schedule.

Heineken says it will now strive to reach the ‘more challenging’ 3.5hl target by 2020.

Other highlights in the report include a 30% reduction in production carbon emissions since 2008, with around 20% of electricity now coming from renewable sources.

Using less energy and less water has resulted in savings of €75m ($81m) over the past six years, the company added.

Children who ‘sip’ alcohol may start drinking earlier, says study​​

Children who are allowed to sip and taste their parents’ wine may be more likely to start drinking earlier than their peers, according to a US study in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.​

The results question the theory that introducing children to alcohol early teaches responsible drinking and lessons the appeal of alcohol, said researcher Kristina Jackson.

Instead, researchers found those who had ‘sipped’ alcohol by sixth grade were five times more likely to have a full drink by the time they reached high school. They were also four times more likely to have been binge drinking or have been drunk, the study says.

Krones acquires Gernep​​

Yesterday Krones, a German manufacturer of beverage filling and packaging technology, announced it has bought a 100% stake in Gernep Group.

Gernep is a German label manufacturer covering the beverage, food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. It will continue to operate autonomously with its existing sales and management arrangements.

Bamboo and beverages​​

Described as ‘sweet and clean’ tasting, Bamboo Water​ from Bamboo Beverages could be on the shelves in North America in June, with a Kickstarter campaign currently underway.

Co-founder Vincent Villanis – who has previously made bamboo beer – says the nutritional value of bamboo leaves is undervalued. He also believes the drink is ecologically sustainable and would be suitable for production in emerging economies.  

And finally… Brewer’s spat with politician boosts sales​​

As the UK gears up for the general election on May 7, the Bradford Brewing Company and teetotal politician George Galloway got into an online spat this week, reports the Mail Online.  

The brewing firm tweeted Galloway, its local Respect Party parliamentary candidate, to ask if he was ‘still a thing.’

Galloway told the brewer it had been 'most unwise'.

The brewing company has reported a boost in customers following the incident. 

See the related news section below for more of this week's stories.​