Sometimes you just wanna have a drink, in a quiet remote area and not have to deal with the annoyance of the outside world and that’s exactly what Mexico City’s first underground bar, Jules Basement provides.Entrepreneurs Alfredo Luengas, David Hernandez and Gerardo Salgado are the brains behind the business while French designer Emmanuel Picault and architect Ludwig Godefroy are the brains behind the design. It starts with a peculiar entrance which looks like it leads into a walk-in fridge, which it once did but now continues down into a basement. Don’t think you can roll in after work for a few drinks, a strict guest list policy ensures that only the preferred few get to enjoy the very upmarket inner sanctum. Shards of black, white and silver jut from the ceiling in reference to Mayan ceiba trees, while enormous skulls grin out from the transparent tables. So if you’re lucky to land yourself indoors, after coming that far you won’t be disappointed with their list of cocktails.
Geoff McFetridge is at it again in his latest art project with Bushmills Irish Whiskey. The Los Angeles based graphic designer and visual artist created a whiskey decanter inspired by the original shape of a Bushmills Irish Whiskey bottle, hand blown by design firm Esque Studio. McFetridge established a name for himself by creating the title sequences for The Virgin Suicides and Where The Wild Things Are. He was also part of the Beautiful Losers Exhibition, and makes solo exhibitions from Los Angeles, Berlin, Paris, London, the Netherlands and Japan.
McFetridge has created an edition of 75 decanters exclusively for Bushmills Irish Whiskey’s ‘Since Way Back’ program. These limited-edition decanters are available to purchase now via Esque Studio’s online store for $600 and fans feeling lucky can also enter to win their own here.
Launching this April, Chivas Regal and famed Italian design house Pininfarina create stunning collectors editions featuring Chivas 18. Inspired by the elements the collaboration will feature three limited editions: Limited Edtion 1 ($140) is based on a streamlined drop, giving a sense of movement that is inherent to Pininfarina. A rich blue, metallic finish outer case, reminiscent of the metalwork the Italian company is best known for, with a wood veneer; representing the oak barrels so crucial in the ageing process of Chivas 18.
As global beer brands compete with one another and increased local players, innovation has come to play a more central role in their financial health. Brewbound cites the BeerTAB report to show that there is an overall decline in beer volume sales as craft beer continues to grow.
As the competition heats up, brand managers continue to look towards introducing tactics like new flavors, activation experiences, and packaging to entice the consumer. But Heineken is an interesting example because they have a refined ability to out-innovate their competitors. Note how the innovation programs mentioned below extend the product into the realms of community and audience loyalty.
Innovation Program Manager Ellen Bark has energized and elevated creativity in the beer market by forging opportunities that balance product and community. Check out their latest platform, the 60+ Challenge Project.
Tell us about your background and role within Heineken.
I joined Heineken in 2009 as Innovation Program Manager within the Global Commerce Innovation. This role stretches from Front End innovation (i.e. concept development) to building innovation capabilities and leading collaborative innovation initiatives. This includes both external initiatives (such as the IdeasBrewery.com and our Open Innovation Platform) and internal initiatives (like our on-line Innovators Community and Heineken Innovation Challenges).
Lionel Richie’s famed 1984 ballad is the centerpiece of Taco Bell’s current TV ad, but it’s sung as “Hola.”
“It’s surprising that even 20-year-olds know the song,” said Taco Bell CMO Brian Niccol. “They might not know Lionel Richie, but they’ll recognize the tune.”
Though it seems like an odd song for Taco Bell, especially in Spanish, the ad is introducing its new Cool Ranch Doritos Locos taco, which will be available March 7, and is part of Taco Bell’s largest marketing campaign to date. Using what Mr. Niccol called an iconic song translated into Spanish is the latest iteration of the chain’s larger “Live Mas” campaign, which is meant to convey Taco Bell’s food “not just as fuel, but food as an experience,” he said.
Said Mr. Niccol: “This is one of those [songs] you get without having to understand Spanish. It adds another level of context to the brand around the experience we’re providing. It’s blending cultures. We’re a Mexican-inspired brand and we continue to push the boundaries of what that means.”
‘The Artist’ is the title of Stella Artois‘s latest commercial, and no, it is has nothing to do with the Oscar-winning silent film, although it did debut during the Academy Awards on Sunday night. The sophisticated and understated ad, focuses not on the Belgian beer but on the iconic Artois chalice and the artistry in making it, from glassblowing to painting the logo on the front.
The ad, developed by New York creative agency Mother, features a dapper gentleman – The Glassmaker – meticulously creating a chalice, forming its shape, hand stamping the stem, and delicately painting it. He then places it in a box, where it goes straight to the bartender. The voiceover tells us “If this much care goes in to the Chalice, imagine what goes in to the beer…”
The appreciation of artistry made it the perfect choice to air during the Oscars. Says brand director Rick Oleshak:
“Stella Artois has long been a supporter of great film and an admirer of the craftsmanship of exceptional filmmakers.We celebrate their work as a sponsor of iconic film festivals around the world, including the Cannes Film Festival and the Sundance Film Festival here in the United States. As the eyes of the world turn[ed] to the celebration of great film here in the U.S. [during the Oscars], it seemed only appropriate to debut this new ad.”
The 30 second spot will run until April, and is part of a new campaign in the US for the company, that will ‘evolve to feature an inventive mix of digital and traditional elements.’
Warren Buffett, the world’s most successful investor, has snapped up the famous food company Heinz in a deal worth bn – adding the ketchup giant to a portfolio that covers everything from insurance and underwear to stakes in Coca Cola and Walmart.
Buffett, the second richest man in the US behind his friend Bill Gates, has a long history of investing in famous brands. He said he had been following Heinz’s fortunes for some time. “This is my kind of deal,” Buffett told financial news channel CNBC. “I’ve got a file on Heinz that goes back to 1980.”
The chairman of the Berkshire Hathaway fund was backed by 3G Capital, an investment firm with strong ties to Latin America. 3G’s most high-profile acquisition to date was Burger King, the second largest burger chain in which it retains a major stake. The offer represents a 20% premium to Heinz’s closing share price on Wednesday. The deal includes taking on bn of debt.
“It’s our kind of company. It’s got a group of fantastic brands, led by ketchup,” said Buffett. “The ketchup brand has been around for 135 years or so and I’ve sampled it many, many times.”
Famous for its “57 varieties”, Heinz was founded in Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania in 1869, and has been headquartered in nearby Pittsburgh for 120 years. Its products include Heinz Baked Beans, Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce and Tater Tots, and it sells its goods in over 200 countries.
Berkshire Hathaway and 3G Capital pledged to maintain Pittsburgh as the company’s global headquarters, and to continue support of community initiatives and related investments. Unite, Britain’s biggest union, is seeking a meeting with management looking for reassurance about the company’s 3,000 British workers.
“The Heinz brand is one of the most respected brands in the global food industry, and this historic transaction provides tremendous value to Heinz shareholders,” said Heinz chairman, president and CEO William Johnson.
Johnson said Heinz’s share price had recently hit an all-time high, and that the company was being bought “from a position of strength. As a private enterprise, Heinz will have an opportunity to drive further growth and advance our commitment to providing consumers across the globe with great tasting, nutritious and wholesome products,” said Johnson.
Henry J Heinz, a devout Methodist of German descent, founded Heinz Noble and company with partner Clarence Noble. Their first product was horseradish. The company went bankrupt in 1875 and Heinz went into business with his brother and cousin. One of their first products was tomato ketchup. The “57 varieties” slogan was introduced in 1896 after Heinz was inspired by an advert he saw in New York offering “21 styles” of shoe.
The company already produced more than 57 varieties even as the ad was being drawn up. Heinz told a number of stories about how the number came about, saying five was his lucky number and seven was his wife’s lucky number. Heinz also said seven was selected because of the “psychological influence of that figure and of its enduring significance to people of all ages”.
Buffett said that one of 3G’s principal backers, the Brazilian billionaire Jorge Paulo Lemann, had first suggested the deal to him. Lemann, a former tennis star who played at Wimbledon, made a fortune in brewing. The two met when Lemann was on the board of Gillette, the shaving business once owned by Berkshire. Lemann first talked to Buffett about the deal in December during a plane journey.
The deal – big even by Buffett’s standards – may not be his last. At the end of 2012, Berkshire had bn of cash on its books. In his letter to shareholders, Buffett said he was looking for other deals. “We’re prepared. Our elephant gun has been reloaded, and my trigger finger is itchy,” he wrote.
Berkshire is adding between bn-bn to the deal, leaving it with a sizeable cash pile. The investor refused to be drawn on whether Heinz could be used as a vehicle to snap up other famous food brands.
3G will take the lead in managing Heinz. Lemann, who started his career in investment banking, turned AmBev, a Brazilian brewer, into Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world’s largest brewer, through a series of audacious mergers and takeovers.
Alex Behring, a managing partner at 3G Capital said: “We have great respect for the Heinz brands, and the strong business that management and its employees operate around the world. We approached Heinz to explore how we might work together to expand the value of this storied brand.
“We fully recognize Heinz’s value and heritage, and look forward to working together with Heinz’s employees, suppliers and customers as we invest in and support the company’s global growth efforts.”
• This story was amended on 14 February 2013. The original headline said Heinz had been bought for bn. This has been changed to bn to reflect the debt being taken on by the buyers
Following on the news that Marc Jacobs has joined with Diet Coke this year to help celebrate their 30th anniversary, Diet Coke and Jacobs have unveiled the cans that pay tribute to female empowerment of the 80′s and 90′s as part of their “Sparkling Together for 30 Years” campaign. The campaign will feature three different cans as pictured above: one featuring stylized birds flit around a fashion illustration showing a model crouching in a bustier dress, stiletto heels, and a tall trilby hat, another awash in a flurry of bow ties over a model in a strong-shouldered tuxedo and top hat, and the last surrounded by a shower of polka dots.
The first cans and bottles are scheduled to arrive next month in 11 European markets including the UK, France, Benelux and Iceland.
If you’re into your coffee, then this is the short film for you. Created by visual entertainment company Thrash Lab, the 12-minute video focuses on three of their favorite specialty coffee companies and examines how the taste, look, smell, and pour of a perfect coffee is created. Starting at roasting plant LAMILL Coffee in LA, the video takes us over to the Blue Bottle Coffee Co. headquarters in Oakland, and then back to Handsome Coffee in downtown Los Angeles, demonstrating how the magic happens every step of the way.
In NYC, there’s no shortage of little Mexican restaurants popping up left and right. However, when you think of the trendy SoHo area of Manhattan, the last thing that one would think to find is authentic Mexican fare.
Antojeria La Popular (located at 50 Spring St.) is a small tapas bar combining the sexy, chic SoHo feel with the bold and complex flavors of Mexican cuisine from every region.
This article titled “Warren Buffett’s Berkshire group to buy Heinz for bn” was written by Dominic Rushe in New York, for The Guardian on Thursday 14th February 2013 13.48 UTC
