Nicaragua, the craft beer sector is starting to grow”

Michaela Knör, Librarian at VLB's Axel Simon Library and beer enthusiast, talked to Bertha M. Escobar Gonzalez and Paola M. Arguello Castillo after graduating from the Certified Brewmaster Course 2022. Both women, who work with Compañía Cervecera de Nicaragua S.A. (CCN), enjoyed experiencing the German beer market and they are convinced: VLB Berlin is “the best international institute to become a brewmaster”.

Michaela Knör: How did you get in touch with beer and why did you decide to become a brewer and/ or work in the brewing industry?

Bertha M. Escobar Gonzalez: When I was studying Chemical Engineering some years ago, the university organized a visit to the brewery in the first year of my studies and this was my initial contact with the fascinating world of beer production. During this visit we got to know how beer is made and I was fascinated by the process, all unitary operations that are involved with all the biochemical transformations. It was stunning to see how a small living microorganism as yeast can convert the sugars present in the wort into alcohol. In that moment I thought I want to work in this company when I finish my studies.

But it turned out that an immediate start there was not possible as I got my first job as Chemical Engineer in a geothermal power plant. But the whole time I kept in mind my wish to work in the brewery. Finally, after five years I decided to apply in the brewery as production supervisor, and fortunately I got the job. And that is how I finally started working with CCN.

Paola M. Arguello Castillo: I got in touch with beer at an early age since this magnific beverage was always present in my family at any celebration. For me it was always very interesting to see how well accepted beer was wherever we went from restaurants to public events. In Nicaragua, there are only some big companies where you can develop yourself and grow as a professional. One of them is Compañía Cervecera de Nicaragua and for me it was like a dream to come true when I started working there. Nevertheless, one of the biggest challenges I was facing first was to understand the brewing process more comprehensively for my position as a Quality Manager. So, it was a must to become a brewmaster to help the company to improve its process and serve as a support in the development of new products. Additionally, as there are no female brewers in the company other than my colleague Bertha and me, I decided to complete the Certified Brewmaster Course at the same time.

Michaela: Are there many female brewers in Nicaragua?

Bertha: Before Paola and me, just one woman was working as brewmaster in Nicaragua. She studied in Spain in 2006. This was also an additional motivation for me, to be a next woman becoming a brewmaster in my country.

In 2020, Bernardo Izaguirre Pereira, Technical Director of Compañía Cervecera de Nicaragua S.A. (CCN), graduated from VLB’s Certified Brewmaster Programme. Shortly after his returning to Nicaragua, CCN became member of VLB Berlin in August 2021, being motivated by gaining the advantages of up-to-date knowledge, consulting, networking, and education for the sake of CCN’s future development. Bernardo being convinced that highly qualified employees play an important role at CCN, the company decided to send Bertha M. Escobar Gonzalez and Paola M. Arguello Castillo to participate at the Certified Brewmaster Course of VLB Berlin in 2022. For both women, this decision was the right one as they completed the course very successfully – Bertha M. Escobar Gonzalez even at the top of her class. Shortly after graduation and returning to Nicaragua, Michaela Knör, Axel Simon Library at VLB Berlin, interviewed Bertha and Paola about the beer market in Nicaragua, about their motivation to work in the brewing sector and about why they chose the Certified Brewmaster Course at VLB Berlin.

Michaela: How would you describe the beer market in Nicaragua?

Bertha: Currently, the Nicaraguan market is a basic market due to the socioeconomic level of the population – in total, our consumers prefer a safety option with good reference. The Nicaraguans like mainstream brands, which are mostly American Lager Style beers, and people enjoy traditional products at accessible price. However, CCN promotes the beer culture with our different brands and hosting different events. For example, CCN organized a beer festival that was a huge event of three days where we celebrated the pride of being Nicaraguan with national and international artists. This event rotated around our beers, and we presented our innovations and season beer styles. In the brewery I’m working in research and development team, and I am proud to work with the marketing area, because together we create new products, and our people can taste different styles.

Michaela: Who is drinking beer in Nicaragua?

Bertha: Mainly men between 18 to 49 years of age, the consumption is mainly during weekends and conviviality events, mostly on premises. Young men and women are growing with our brands, because in our variety we have products for the young people segment with low alcohol, low bitterness and high refreshing character. At the beginning, our beers had a closer European profile but across the years the market has changed and now our brands have a lighter profile. However, Nicaraguan people have a strong loyalty to the Nicaraguan brands and our products are part of our traditions.

Michaela: What is the main type of packaging in Nicaragua and at CCN: bottle, cans or kegs?

Bertha: The main type of packaging are returnable bottles 12 oz (which corresponds to European 0.33 l) and 1 l, followed by cans which have been increasing in the last years and finally kegs with a small market share.

Paola: Most of the beer is sold in returnable bottles, this represents around 70 to 80 % of our sales locally. Additionally we have oneway bottles, cans, and some kegs. Nevertheless, we export our brands to countries like USA, Canada, Australia and even Spain where the main package is one-way bottles.

Michaela: Is draft beer common in Nicaragua?

Bertha: In Nicaragua, draft beer is not very common yet but the whole sector is starting to grow on a high economic level. We are promoting this speciality in restaurants and craft beer pubs.

Michaela: Which types of beer are produced at CCN?

Bertha: CCN mainly produces American Lager beer style which is a gold, bright filtered beer with a slight note of cereals and high drinkability. In total our beer is clean, drinkable and crispy.

Michaela: What is your personal favourite beer type?

Bertha: I prefer well-balanced beer with clean taste, moderate hop aroma and malt character, like German Helles and Pils style. For specialty beer, I really enjoyed Alt Bier during our visit in Dusseldorf. As to Craft Beer my favourite style is IPA, the aroma and flavour of fresh hops

Nicaragua

The Central American country of Nicaragua, with a population of almost 7 million people, is situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea and is known for its spectacular scenery. The country has a quite turbulent history lingering between periods of war and peace and different political systems. Asking Europeans what they know about Nicaragua and its beer market, most of the peolple will shrug their shoulders. The one’s who have been there might know that there are two brands that are dominating the with citric and tropical notes as Mosaic and Simcoe.

Market: “Toña” and “Victoria”. “Victoria” was the major brand of the Compañía Cervecera de Nicaragua S.A. (CCN) founded in 1926, whereas “Toña” was the flagship brand of “Industrial Cervecera S.A.” (ICSA) established in 1976. As these two breweries merged in 1996, both brands are now brewed at CCN which ever since has been the market leader for beer and beverages in Nicaragua. CCN's total production of beer is about 1.4. million hectoliters (2020) which are sold within the country and exported to Central and North America.

Paola: My favourite style is Helles.

Michaela: How is the legal situation for beer in Nicaragua?

Bertha: In Nicaragua we pay the highest taxes in the region for beer production and selling. We pay two selective consumption taxes: one is for price and the second relates to alcohol content. For one dollar of sales, we pay approximately 0.5 cents of taxes.

Michaela: When you came to Germany what was beerwise most striking for you?

Bertha: For me it was awesome to realize how people in Berlin really enjoy the beer and how they are involved in a beer culture. Everyone, man or woman, old or young procure every moment to share a beer with friends, family or alone in different situations, even during a pleasant walk in the park. Drinking beer does not classify for the society as a negative aspect even in public and people take their time to learn about different styles and recipes. You feel the beer culture at any place you go. There are many beer lovers. And any time is a good time to enjoy a beer with your friends, especially during warm summer evenings in Berlin, it is an unforgettable experience to drink a beer in one the beer gardens.

Paola: For me, it was surprising that you can find so many different styles and presentations. Each city can have their own brewery and their own niche and target consumer.

Michaela: Why did you decide to come to VLB?

Bertha: VLB is internationally recognized as the best institute to become a brewmaster. The advantage of VLB is that it is a globally operating institute with all the specialized knowledge in the industry and that the courses are available in English, which gives an extraordinary option for our company. VLB is leading internationally because it is present around the world with conferences, consultancy, and training.

Paola: The decision to enroll at VLB Brewmaster Course was made in agreement with the company, due to the prestige and the experience that VLB Berlin stands for. In addition, the good experience of previous brewmasters that studied there, was another decisive argument. For me, one of the biggest plus points of the Certified Brewmaster Course was the possibility to meet many people from different countries with diverse experiences in all fields of brewing which enriched the class very much.

Michaela: What was your most stunning experience during the course?

Bertha: During the Certified Brewmaster Course I was impressed of the high level of accessibility that we had with the experts and professors with extraordinary experience and training. It was possible to connect with them and get important information and orientation from first hand. Apart from the immeasureable social and educational talents, VLB is an institute oriented to application research and providing all the technical support, the state of the art in technology and excellent relation with main suppliers of the brewing industry.

Paola: For me, the networking during the course was very important aspect.

Michaela: Due to the pandemic, your CBC group had the opportunity to complete the first three months of training online. But both of you were on-site the whole six months. What would you say are the advantages of being on-site compared to an online course?

Bertha: To assist on-site gives the opportunity to share the experience closely with your classmates and teachers, to exchange knowledge and experience with people from different parts of the world, being completely focused during lectures and being more involved. During the course we had one week online due to Covid situation and that was quite complicated. Thus, we were convinced that our company took the right decision to book the course on-site for us. Additionally, considering the time difference between Nicaragua and Berlin, it would have been more complicated to take the classes at dawn and be 100 % focused. Even if the technologies are improving, it is not possible to be 100 % involved in the lecture with the distance. So I would fully recommend doing the course on-site with the experience of learning in the institute.

Michaela: What are the overall benefits of the CBC course in your opinion?

Bertha: There are plenty. First, the opportunity to participate in a recognized institute for brewmaster education in English is a great benefit for our countries. Several breweries are enrolled, and we can share experience and do benchmarking. Other than that, the duration of the course is convenient for the industry. Companies agree to send their employees for this time. And the course is designed to cover all the important aspects without reduced content in seven months, the program is intensive, complete, and compact.

It was good to receive brewing knowledge with focus on practical orientation. On top, the experience to live in Germany being part of the beer culture, was great. We experienced what makes the brewing world tick and we made contact with experts of different areas of brewing.

Paola: I think that one of the more tangible benefits of the CBC is the recognition that you gain in the industries.

VLB Berlin offered trainings at the Balashi Brewery in Aruba

The Balashi Brewery, founded in 1999, has established itself as the leading brewery in Aruba, which is a Caribbean island off the coast of Venezuela. The current owners (Veer family) reaffirm their commitment to Aruba and its people by offering high quality products, including its beers Balashi, Chilli and recently Mango.

(BF) As part of the strategy to ensure staff training, Balashi entrusted VLB Berlin with two trainings, which were conducted by Senior Consultant Roberto Biurrun. The first training, aimed at operational and quality management staff, took five days. The “Brewing Technology Seminar ” covered all aspects from raw materials through the complex brewing process to packaging. In the second week, the two-day “Brewing in a Nutshell” course brought together the company's administrative staff, giving attendees the opportunity to appreciate the different aspects of the brewing process. For Eduardo Fernow, Balashi's brewmaster, the training was a success: “The attendees' feedback was thoroughly positive.” Warren Stanley, General Manager, commented: “This type of high quality training was long overdue for my brewhouse staff. They really appreciated having the opportunity to broaden their knowledge of beer and the brewing process.” Finally, Roberto Biurrun added: “Balashi offers consumers incredibly high quality options. Thus, I am not surprised that they are leaders on the island, with products appreciated by locals and tourists alike.”

Michaela: When you returned to CCN, how did you use your knowledge and what do you want to work on next?

Bertha: The training is not finished yet, now I need to improve my knowledge putting everything into practice. As part of the brewmaster team I will be involved closely in the process of supervision, in projects for testing new materials and good brewing practices. Now, I can help more efficiently evaluating projects and externally consulting to maintain a consistency of good quality beer. Additionally, I will participate in expansion projects with our brewmaster and project manager to evaluate new technologies looking for the best sustainable options for future facilities.

Paola: Back in business, I can support my colleagues in developing the technical parts of production and additionally find opportunities to improve the process and find savings for the company.