As of today, Cara 0.0, the non-alcoholic version of the well-known Cara beer, will be stocked on the shelves of all Colruyt Lowest Prices stores in Belgium and Luxemburg and of all the comarkets. Non-alcoholic beverages, especially non-alcoholic beers, are tremendously popular, particularly during the summer. So what better time to launch a great-tasting, non-alcoholic version of Cara! Cara 0.0 will be a permanent fixture of the Colruyt range alongside the classic Cara Pils, Cara Rouge, and Cara Blond.
Non-alcoholic options on the rise
It’s no secret that the popularity of non-alcoholic beverages continues to grow. Colruyt beer buyer Dieter De Brackeleer: “In the past year, one in three customers bought a non-alcoholic alternative at Colruyt, whereas only one in five did so a year ago. This is a tremendous increase that clearly demonstrates that Belgians are increasingly conscious about their alcohol intake.”
Non-alcoholic beers are the most popular drinks in the non-alcoholic beverage range. In 2023, Colruyt sold 20% more non-alcoholic beers than in the previous year. The range has also been expanded significantly: Colruyt already sells 32 non-alcoholic beers, of which 14 are non-alcoholic pilsners. The range is being further expanded considerably in 2024, including with the newly launched Cara 0.0. Dieter De Brackeleer: “Colruyt sees a peak in sales of non-alcoholic beer during the summer in particular. This makes it the perfect time to launch our Cara 0.0. Cara 0.0 is a non-alcoholic beer with a floral, hoppy nose, malty flavour, and highly refreshing, subtle bitter aftertaste. We’re convinced that it will become a permanent fixture of our beer collection, together with our classic Cara Pils, Cara Blond, and Cara Rouge.” Where Cara 0.0 is brewed is a well-kept secret that Colruyt Group will never share. The same applies to Cara Pils, Cara Blond, and Cara Rouge.
On-trend cult beer
Colruyt Group launched Cara in 1980 as a pilsner with a strong price-to-quality ratio. The brand has since grown into a cult brand that is loved by beer drinkers young and old.
In the past, there have been a number of experiments with Cara, but absolute die-hard fans kept buying the classic pilsner and, for over 40 years, Cara was just that – a classic pilsner.
This all changed in 2022. “In recent years, we see that consumers have become more open to increased variation and even demand it. Consumer preferences change. In 2022, customers were increasingly choosing strong blond beers and fruit beers. So, we launched Cara Blond and Cara Rouge, two beers that have been a tremendous success and are enjoyed by a diverse range of people,” De Brackeleer adds.
In the summer of 2023, Colruyt launched CaraFest, a limited edition wheat beer. Just under 10,000 cans were available and the beer was sold out in no time.
Cara 0.0 is available in all Colruyt Lowest Prices stores in Belgium and Luxemburg and in all comarkets costs €0.49 per can.
