When Alexandra Chappate, CEO and founder of Kenya-based craft beverage producer African Originals, started working in Africa's drinks industry in 2015, she was struck by the huge unmet demand for premium locally produced brands.
At the time, she was the head of marketing for Pernod Ricard in West Africa, overseeing global brands like Jameson, Absolut Vodka and Chivas Regal.
"Working for premium brands like Jameson helped me understand that there is an appetite for premium brands in Africa. That said, all these premium brands didn't have local stories, while local options were very mass market and low-end," she tells African Business.