Keroche (B): Considering Entry into the Kenyan Beer Market

By: Pippa Tubman Armerding and Ramon Casadesus-Masanell

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Synopsis: This case discusses the situation of the Kenyan alcoholic drinks producer Keroche in July 2004, when co-founder Tabitha Karanja was debating whether to enter the Kenyan beer market. Doing so would mean direct competition with the multinational EABL in an industry and market where Keroche had no experience. It would also require significant investments in manufacturing capacity, technology, and marketing. The case asks whether Tabitha Karanja should enter the Kenyan beer market, and if so, whether she should continue to target the low- to middle-income consumers with whom she had built the Keroche business, or shift the company's focus toward the upper middle- and high-income consumers who had been customers of EABL. The case also describes how the company successfully rebounded from the plant closures, litigation, and media attacks of the previous year, including through court battles and an extensive public relations campaign.