Nigerians ask for Herbal Beer, Star responds (photos)

Nigeria’s number one beer brand, Star lager, recently made history as it unveiled a new brand extension, Star Triple X. Considered as Nigeria’s first beer with extra benefits, Star Triple X is the result of a painstaking research embarked upon by Star lager beer; which had the brand asking consumers what more it could do for them. Consumers echoed that they wanted ‘extra’. Star ‘listened’ and then responded with Star Triple X. 

Star Triple X is a beer that is extra smooth, extra strong and produced with extra African herbs. It contains 14 extra African herbs including bitter kola, kola nut and ginger. This makes it the first ever beer brand in Africa produced with African herbs. The innovative brew was formally unveiled to the public at the Polo Park Mall, Enugu, on Friday, July 3, 2015. The Star Triple X beer launch was wholly dedicated to consumers as the brand constructed an Experience Centre to enable the scores of visitors connect with the new brew. 

A gigantic mock Star Triple X bottle was also built. It measured 70 feet from the ground, making it the biggest bottle ever constructed in Nigeria. The huge bottle could be sighted from afar by people that approached the Polo Park Mall and its environs. Visitors who arrived to witness the launch were taken through the process of brewing Star Triple X at the Experience Centre. The ambience of a brewery was simulated, complete with mild sprinkling of water and bubbles, which are essential components of beer. The screen also beamed a mini-documentary, which revealed the brewing process and ingredients for the product. 

The highlight of the Experience Centre tour was when consumers finally got to taste Star Triple X. ObinnaChukwuemeka, a Civil Servant who was at the centre, described his experience as amazing. He said: “I was in the office when I heard on radio that one of Nigeria’s biggest brands would unveil something extraordinary this evening at this venue. It was only when I got here that I realized that the event was about a new product, Star Triple X. I just came out of the Experience Centre and indeed, it was astonishing. More importantly, I tasted the beer and it was superb. I have switched to this new brand henceforth.” 

UcheAnyaebe, an aspiring Nollywood actor described his time at the Experience Centre as unforgettable. He said: “I have been to some product launches, but the Star Triple X unveil was a brand new experience for me. We were taken through the journey of the production of Star Triple X and I felt as if I was in a brewery. I learnt a lot about Star Triple X today, and I have also tasted it. As they said, this beer is extra smooth, extra strong with extra African herbs.” 

On why Star launched the Triple X extension, Mr. ChidikeOluaoha, Senior Brand Manager, Star Nigerian Breweries Plc., emphasized that it was a response to consumers’ demand for extra.  He said: “We are a consumer inspired and a brand led business and at every particular point in time, we go the extra mile to ensure that we provide superior satisfaction to our consumers. And one way we try to do that is to always check with them to know what they want. We asked the question in our usual way of checking with our consumers, what more do you want? And that question elicited one answer from them and that answer is, we want extra! When we probed deeper, we got more insights into what we needed to do. And that gave birth to Star Triple X. The Triple X in the name stands for Extra Smooth, Extra Strong and Extra African Herbs. We know that Nigeria is big on herbs. Nigerians believe that herbs have medicinal and health benefits. So we decided to come up with a proposition that will encapsulate the extras that our esteemed consumers want.”

Shedding more light on the uniqueness and extra benefits of the new Star Triple X, Mr. Oluaoha stated that the product is made from 100 per cent barley which makes it extra smooth, while its 5.5 per cent alcoholic volume makes it extra strong. He added that 14 African herbs were selected for the production of the Star Triple X, thus affirming the beer’s status as the first of its kind in Africa.

Speaking on the rationale behind the unique launch of Star Triple X, Mr. Oluaoha further stated: “Having produced such a fantastic product, we also wanted to introduce it to our consumers in an extra exciting ambience with an extra first-of-its-kind experience. You can’t have a fantastic product like this, the first of its kind in Nigeria and perhaps in the world and just launch it quietly. That is why we’ve built this experience centre. We have the larger-than-life bottle that you see here, the first-of-its kind in Africa and it is quite monumental. Everything that you see here depicts the extras that this product comes with.” He added that Star Triple X would soon be available to consumers nationwide.