OnTap Magazine

Patricia Pillay This is the season in which we enjoy responsibly and celebrate the end of a year and the beginning of a new one. We lift our goblets high, cheers with optimism, and look forward to new adventures and beer routes to explore. Sadly, this will be my final On Tap letter as CEO of the Beer Association of South Africa. I have served for just over 3 years now and am proud of the beer industry and their tenacity shown over this time, in surviving through difficult periods like Covid-19, the prohibition on the sale of alcohol, pivoting, increasing excise rates on beer, load shedding and generally poor service delivery. The beer industry united over this period in relaunching the brew routes around the country, creating more awareness of the craft and heritage of beer brewing, and established relationships with key stakeholders such as the liquor boards and other provincial and national authorities. The beer community is unlike any other. It is always brimming with energy and camaraderie. We are a celebratory, positive group of people – so even a goodbye is never really sad, it is always one filled with good memories and enthusiasm about what lies ahead. In this issue of On Tap you will find many reasons for optimism. The talented young brewers of the Intervarsitybrew have stunned judges with their passion. They represent the future of brewing in South Africa. Based on the friendly yet serious competition in Bloemfontein between tertiary institutions, that future shines a bright, bright gold. Hope abounds in projects through which the beer industry is improving communities. In supporting the Department of Social Development's 9-9-9 Campaign against Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, the industry helps establish responsible drinking in a number of communities and empowers especially young women by making them aware of the dangers of reckless drinking. The SAB Foundation celebrates innovative business ideas that address social needs, while stimulating entrepreneurial growth. We can solve problems while also growing the economy. This belief has always been at the centre of all the beer industry's decisions. We can build a better future through job creation. With projects like the Beer Ambassador workshop, recently held with the Eastern Cape Liquor Board, we equip young people to take advantage of a career supported by beer tourism. Through our campaign to make craft beer available on grocery store shelves we hope to establish economic gains for all our hard-working local brewers. So, I say goodbye not with sadness, but with optimism and enthusiasm about all the ways in which the beer industry is contributing to the future, a future in which people will lift their beers and say, "We, as a community, have so much to celebrate together." See you at your local brewery for a pint! Cheers! LETTER FROM THE CEO 6 | Summer 2023 | ontapmag.co.za