As a topic that has been on my mind for months now, considering the over 20 brands of alcoholic herbal drinks in the market, one thing or the other has always held me back until recently when I got a press release from one of the giant competitors, Nigerian Breweries [NB], titled ‘Why consumers prefer Ace Roots’.
Should I just slam the story on Consumer Watch page? I pondered. Do consumers actually prefer Ace Roots and, if they do, why? Some reporters and myself decided to hit entertainment spots, drink bars, talk to distributors, retailers and generally consumers.
Meanwhile, prior to the time Guinness Nigeria Plc stormed the market in 2013 with its premium Orijin spirit bitters and Orijin lager, we had over twenty brands of different alcoholic herbal mixtures in the market.
Starting from the low class ones: Kparaga, Monkey shoulder, Kerewa, Kogbela, Ibile, Durosoke, Dadubule, Action Bitters, Koboko, Ogidigba, Baby Oku, Pasa Bitters, Osomo, to Alomo of higher class, among others.
With the advent of Orijin lager from Guinness, everyone expected naturally that Nigerian Breweries will follow suit and industry watchers were not surprised when NB unveiled Ace Roots at a trade launch early last year.
Guinness Nigeria Plc describes Orijin as a unique alcoholic blend with the flavours of African herbs, spices and fruits combined to give a refreshing bitter sweet taste.
According to the makers, Orijin is made with neutral spirits, sugar, citric acids, trisodium citrate, caramel extracts, [naartire, chamomile, thyme, cinnamon and orange]. The Orijin beer also comes in similar composition with the addition of carbonated water, sodium benzoate, herbal and fruits.
According to the Nigerian Breweries Sales Director, Hubert Eze, a bottle of Ace Roots contains only one cube of sugar, 6% alcohol and the mixture is not only flavoured but contains African herbs.
“Ace Roots is of 14 natural fruits, herbs and spices. These are actual herbal extracts and not flavourings all mixed in a unique 60cl and sleek can with metalized labels,” said Eze.
Unfortunately, the major ingredients in most of the very low class ones are ethanol, caffeine and hemp in different proportions. Also, common in some of them is a dark substance called ‘Muru’ from the northern part of the country.
‘Muru’ is mainly used in the treatment of pile in that part of the country and is the main reason for the bitter taste of some of those products. The combination of ethanol and hemp in most of them is why they are highly intoxicating.
From the survey carried out this reporter, there is a clear distinction between those who sell and patronise the other alcoholic herbal drinks from those who market and buy the ones from the stables of NB and Guinness.
A majority of the highbrow shops, entertainment spots, and bars market mainly Ace Roots, Orijin products, and in some cases Alomo alcoholic bitters which is of Ghana origin. But the other alcoholic herbal drinks, though not found in fancy places, are everywhere, from the streets, parks, small shops, dingy bars, open markets etcetera and enjoy heavy patronage [especially Baby Oku] from those who consume them.
One of the things Orijin has going for it is that it has been in the market long before Ace Roots.
At one of the biggest bars in Enugu, ‘Bush Bar’ on Nza Street in the high brow Independence Layout, posters of Ace Roots and Orijin were conspicuously displayed. Sitting in an obscure corner with one of my friends, I observed that the bar had more chairs, tables, mats etc from NB than any other brewery.
This, the bar manager explained, was “one of the incentives of retailing NB products unlike Guinness sales marketers who are stingy with promotional items.”
Sighting a guy with a bottle of Ace Roots and drinking glass, I quickly moved to his table introducing myself. Explaining my mission, he relaxed and explained that he preferred Ace Roots because of its low sugar.
“I have taken Orijin lager and enjoyed it but because I am diabetic; I opted for Ace Roots because of its purported low sugar content though I prefer the herbal taste of Orijin but hate the sugar content.”
Commenting on the disparity in price, a man who later introduced himself as Barrister Emeka Egbogu said that price does not really hinder a man from drinking what he wants.
Interviewing the bar owner who only agreed to talk on the condition of anonymity, he advised the makers of Orijin to do a downward review of the price. While 60cl of Orijin lager sells for between N350-N400, the 30cl sells for N200 and NB’s Ace Roots 60cl goes for N200.
Moving to another highbrow entertainment spot in Enugu, ‘E Bar’ located at Upper Chime Avenue, New Haven, it was obvious again that NB marketers were doing a good job of furnishing the bars, though chillers from both Guinness and NB breweries were stocked full with all kinds of drinks.
Again, some of the people interviewed complained about the price of Orijin lager and said though they like the taste, they opted for Ace Roots especially when they come to bars in the company of friends, meaning they have to spend more for the drinks to go round.
“When I go to bars alone,” explained Engineer Eze of Enugu State University of Technology, “I relax with Orijin lager, but how can I afford it when I take people out? At such times, I buy either Harp or Ace Roots.”
In Lagos, however, people were more open and vocal. At ‘Harrys Bar’ at No, 20, Akintoye Street, Ikeja, posters of Ace Roots and Orijin adorned the bar, though there was Orijin lager, there was no Ace Roots in their chiller despite the fact that the bar owner is also a distributor for NB and Guinness. Surprised he had no Ace Roots in stock, he said that most people were not demanding for it because it is not good. “People do not like taste.”
“Though Orijin is more expensive, customers still prefer it because it has a better taste. When a product is good, even if you add more money to the price, customers will still go for it,” intoned the bar manager.
Explaining, he said that when Orijin lager first came into the market, it was selling for less than N200 but as the demand increased, the price also went up and people still buy it “despite the fact that we sell it at N350.
“When you drink it, you taste the unique herbal taste, but Ace Roots has a harsh taste of Aspartame; it is like a food that is over salted and people have complained of diarrhoea after taking it.” One of the managers of the bar, Blessing, added that some customers even claim that Ace Roots has more sugar than Orijin.
Moving down to number 16 of the same street, occupied by one of the distributors of both NB and Guinness products, a male sales person, who introduced himself as Jide, said they stock more of Orijin lager than Ace Roots as people demanded Orijin drinks more than Ace, though he attributed this to low awareness.
At Adekumbi Street, off Toyin Street, Ikeja, it was like a majority of them do not know about Ace Roots. At a sales outlet “Enora Nig. Ltd”, the owner of the place, Enora, said she has not heard of it and as such does not sell it. However, the two gentlemen drinking and sitting with her, Engineer Kosoko and Mr. Emma Okoye, confirmed they were aware of the drink. While Engineer Kosoko complained about the prices of both Orijin bitters and Orijin lager, Mr. Okoye disagreed with him, saying that the price of Orijin product was good value for the money. Sipping from a glass of Remmy Martins, he said, “I can even pay N1,000 for Orijin because I believe it is worth it.”
Directing me down the road to another bar, I was surprised not to find Ace Roots in stock. The proprietress said she has none in stock. Over seven middle aged men relaxing in the bar with different bottles of beer agreed to be aware of the existence of Ace Roots as a distributor of the drink on a nearby street, No 16, Akintoye Street, recently gave out Ace promotional gifts. Mr. Olufisoye Ogundairo said he prefers Orijin bitters whenever he wants to relax with his wife, but appealed to Guinness to come out with smaller ones as even the 20cl origin spirit drink sells for between N400 – N500 within that area.
At Madate Spot, formerly called Virgin Café, on 33, Oluwaleyim Street, Ikeja, though Orijin lager was stocked in the chiller, there was no sight of Ace Roots but the posters of both drinks and others decorated the bar. Why is it so? I queried Samuel Ntsi, the bar manager. “Ace Roots is not yet widespread unlike Orijin that has been in the market.” How come you have the poster in your bar? “The sales marketers brought just the poster,” he lamented.
Sitting with a plastic bottle of Orijin Bitters and drinking glass beside him was a man who later introduced himself as Mr. F. A Bello, a retired journalist. “The one I drink is Orijin spirit bitters. It is better than Orijin lager or Ace Roots. I drink it to control my pile, though it has not effectively done that. It is only suppressing it.” About the price, he said it was quite okay.
At one of the biggest bars in Lagos, ‘Capitol Bar’ at 41, Adebisi Awoshogba, Dopemu, spread on two plots of land, a customer with a bottle of Orijin lager on his table had this to say: “I like everything about Orijin. It is the best drink, good market sells itself.”
Speaking with the manager Ifeanyi Eze, he said he had loads of Ace Roots and Orijin as customers demanded for them but he confirmed that Orijin was in higher demand “maybe because Ace Roots is still new in the market.”
Debunking claims of Orijin causing headache or Ace causing diarrhoea, he said they were not common occurrences. Commending NB on how they manage entertainment outlets, he said it was something Guinness was still struggling to learn.
On the price of Orijin, he said that people like it so much that they do not complain about the price.
However, the many drinkers at ‘IK Destiny Bar’ at No 8, Adesina Street, Akowonjo, vehemently spoke against both the price of Orijin and the taste.
“I prefer everything about Ace roots to Orijin Lager,” said the bar owner, Mr. Ikechukwu. “When you open a bottle of Ace Roots, you get sparks unlike Orijin lager that will not react. When you taste Ace Roots, it gingers in your mouth and the price is very reasonable.”
Pointing to an NB van across the road in front of the bar, he explained that the sales man will hang out and monitor events in the bars around, unlike the staff of other breweries. “Guinness staff do not monitor bars, they do not give out promotional gifts. They only paste posters and when you request for the drink in the posters they will tell you, they do not have it.”
One of the customers in his bar simply called Tim said he prefers Ace Roots because of the taste. “If you are taking it, it sparks in the mouth and it makes the mouth ginger.” (I guess ginger is the new slang attributed to Ace Roots). Another customer in the same bar, Mr. Kokomiloko David, said that Orijin drink is too sugary and does not vibrate in the mouth and gives him heart burn. “It is not strong enough and I will advise them to bring the price down.”
However, Olarenwaju Olawunmi said if given all these drinks, he will choose Baby Oku. “I have never heard of Ace roots but my first choice will be Baby Oku then Orijin bitters and Alomo because they are good for “Jedijedi” (pile).
At FAAB Investments Ltd, 128, Akowonjo Rd, a big distributor of alcoholic drinks and beverages from both NB and Guinness Nig, Plc, the manager said that people prefer Orijin to Ace Roots not just because Orijin has been in the market for a longer time but because of the taste and bottle design.
“If we bring four trucks of Orijin drink which translates to 700 crates, we will finish selling them in less than one week but we struggle to sell just one truck of Ace Roots in one week,” said the manager. Samuel Ogundele.
“When Orijin drink first came out, we could not meet the high demand for both the lager and the spirit drink. Orijin lager tastes better than Ace Roots which has a fancy after-taste. Orijin has a natural herbal taste and contains natural sugar while Ace Roots has artificial aspartame taste. It is Orijin all the way!”
The fact on ground is that Orijin drinks are still quite popular and distributors and retailers are smiling to their banks.
However, what Ace Roots has going for it is the price of N200, but a majority of consumers still prefer Orijin lager even with the price. The herbal taste is what they like.