Peruvian beer???
Importing peruvian beer, hmmm what an interesting business idea …. but one that worked for Gareth Whittle and Kieron Barton - two former Huddersfield University Marketing students who held down respectable jobs - tasted Cusqueña (CUS-KEN-YA) lager whilst travelling in Peru. So impressed by the taste of the lager - and after they woke up without hangovers after drinking it(!) – and knowing the way the UK market was going they wanted to give up their jobs and bring it back to the UK!
After researching the lager market and raising the finance, they set up Chilli Marketing to specialise in importing, selling & marketing top quality international alcohol brands in the UK.
The idea being that the company treat the brands they work on as their own and make an international brand a brand in its own right in the UK.
This is done through creative marketing and providing a professional retail sales force to grow the brands here. In short they provide a ‘full service drinks marketing solution’ to brand owners outside the UK.
In just two years since launching Cusqueña from the back of a Punto; Chilli Marketing have the Cusqueña brand stocked in the biggest supermarkets and bar chains in the country & are Harvey Nichols best selling premium lager brand.
Cusqueña was the official beer of Live 8 Edinburgh, both the GQ & Glamour Awards and have major A-List fans including David Beckham, George Clooney & Kate Moss.
They have been awarded ‘Young Entrepreneurs of the Year’ by the All Parliamentary beer committee and with their growing success they have been offered (and turned down) over 20 brands since 2005. However, they are now set to launch further brands in 2007 and aim to explore other exciting ventures in the very near future!