Oh well, a week's gone by and I have heard not a peep out of Lion Nathan regarding my objections to their trademark protection actions.
In the interim, I have been researching exactly what it would mean to boycott this company's products. According to the website http://lion-nathan.com.au/brands/ it is quite extensive, and not just for beer.
Australian brands: Tooheys, XXXX, Hahn, James Boag, West End, Emu, James Squire, Knappstein, Bare Cove, Southwark
NZ brands: Steinlager, Speight's, Mac's, Lion Red, Waikato, Canterbury
International brands: Heinken, Becks, Birra Moretti, Budweiser (US), Kirin, Amstel
Maybe I would probably miss the occasional visit to Squire's brewhouse on King Street wharf, although I haven't been there for many months. As for the rest of the brands, I can't say I regularly consume any of them, so no great dramas there.
But, in looking around the website, Lion Nathan has quite a portfolio of wine. I think this is where a boycott would hurt (me, that is, not Lion Nathan)
For example:
Croser, Petaluma, Pikes, Mitchelton, St Hallett, Tatachilla, Stonier, Bridgewater Mill, Henschke.... among others.
Quite a few of these have a representation in my cellar....... hmmmm
OK, Lion Nathan, I'll give you one more chance..... but after that I'll have to start commencing to think about considering the clarification of the prospect of proposing the discussion of further steps towards a tactical response to the existent issues pertaining the aforementioned actionable parameters.
I'm not going to drink your beer, though. And Squires Brewhouses are off the agenda, henceforth.
In Germany there is Becks bier.
ReplyDeleteIn Australia, we have Lion Nathan. They are one of the largest beverage company in Australia and New Zealand.
They copy Becks. The put it in similar looking bottles with almost identical labels and packaging as the original German beer.
They even write on the box "Germany's Beer" But its brewed under licence in Australia.
It tastes HORRIBLE!!! Nothing like the real German beer.
Yet they market it as if it was German and even charge the same price for it as if it was imported.
That is obviously a deliberate deception and they should be held responsible for blemishing a beautiful original German beer.
See the comparison on youtube:
http://youtu.be/o472X0tJoc8?hd=1
Nice one Angry.... and a topic worth further discussion (underway)
ReplyDeleteI don't know how they can get away with brewing european beers under licence here in Australia. Anyone who has tried the genuine products along side the brewed under licence products can see a massive difference in quality. In fact, the brewed under licence beers don't even resemble the genuine european made beers. The Australian made beers seem to have a really harsh yeasty/metallic taste and aren't as fruity as the european brewed beers, also they have a much shorter finish. Surely this has to be false advertising, and breaking some law/laws. But what can we do about it? We know there is a problem, but how do we take the next step? Do we need to start up a petition?
ReplyDeletePerhaps a petition might shake them up, although the bean-counters responsible for the BUL arrangement don't usually have customer opinion as one of their KPIs.....
ReplyDeleteMy view is that there is enough good, properly exported European beer from which to choose; I've been enjoying Stiegl and Spaten lately.
Simply avoid the BUL stuff (and if feeling vociferous), email Lion Nathan whenever you choose not to buy it. And tell your mates, too.