Spirits maker Platinum Distillers unveils new product

Two months ago, Platinum Distillers Ltd (PDL), a local manufacturer of spirits, unveiled its first canned alcohol brand, making it the first company in Kenya to manufacture and sell liquor in aluminum containers.

Barely a month later, the firm was forced to halt production, following a court case in which it had been sued for allegedly infringing on a trademark of one of its competitors.

Diageo North America Inc, jointly with UDV (Kenya) Ltd, which is its subsidiary in Kenya, said the product called Momentum Ice with Guarana, which was being manufactured by PDL, directly infringed on its trademark, Smirnoff Ice Double Black with Guarana. Diageo said this had caused confusion among consumers who thought the two products were connected. The two parties later agreed to an out-of-court settlement, which ended the case.

Now, PDL Chairman Michael King’ara says their greatest achievement was to rise up again to the occasion after the fall. “We know what we wanted to do. We had the concept in mind way before the other product entered the market. We had set our eyes on manufacturing ready to drink alcoholic beverages,” he explains.

Just two weeks ago, the company launched Ferrari Ice, a ready to drink vodka that is also sold in a can. Ferrari targets male drinkers while Momentum Ice is designed for women. “With Ferrari, you will not ask for warm water and lemon or soda and lime. You will just drink it the way it is,” he explains. King’ara says the company’s plan is to be launching at least two new products every year.

The biggest challenge, however, is the perception that locally manufactured spirits are illicit.

“One of the reasons for this is non-compliance by some manufacturers. This perception has disturbed me for long but I hope with time, Kenyans will come to know that even local brewers can manufacture quality alcohol,” says King’ara.

He says liquor regulating bodies should ensure that all local manufacturers produce alcohol that meets international standards and is tax complaint. “We should be manufacturing products that can be sold locally and internationally,” he adds.

Data from the National Agency for Campaign against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (Nacada) indicate that up to four million Kenyans consume illegal alcoholic beverages. Deaths and blindness from illicit liquor contaminated with methanol or other chemicals are common. But King’ara is certain that the menace can be tackled. “There is very little surveillance on the manufacture of alcoholic drinks and fake Kenya Revenue Authority stamps have flooded the market,” he laments.