April 20, 2009
Waseda University, Kyoto University, and Kizakura Co., Ltd.
Waseda University, Kyoto University (KU), and Kizakura Co., Ltd. jointly developed "White Nile" (a regular beer, on right of photo) in April 2006, "Blue Nile" (a low-malt beer, on left) in August 2007, and "Ruby Nile" (a regular beer, center) in September 2008. These products are manufactured and sold by Kizakura. All those concerned are deeply grateful for the favorable reception of the products in various fields.
The product sales from April 2006 to March 2009 are shown in the following table. While the products are mainly sold in small bottles (330 ml), they are also served by the glass in restaurants. In the following data, sales by the glass are converted into the equivalent bottle volume.
| Fiscal 2006 (April 2006 - March 2007) | Fiscal 2007 (April 2007 - March 2008) | Fiscal 2008 (April 2008 - March 2009) | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White Nile | 73,030 | 52,728 | 36,680 | 162,438 |
| Blue Nile | － | 17,641 | 18,285 | 35,926 |
| Ruby Nile | － | － | 12,333 | 12,333 |
| Total | 73,030 (bottles) | 70,369 (bottles) | 67,298 (bottles) | 210,697 (bottles) |
With the shrinkage of the domestic beer-type beverage market, sales of "White Nile," "Blue Nile," and "Ruby Nile" are also declining, although the three products have remained popular among certain consumers. In their future sales strategy, focus will be placed on the promotion of the beers as products developed under industry-academia cooperation, as well as on further sales channel expansion. It is expected that the total cumulative sales from the product launch will exceed \100 million in June 2009. Such impressive sales are almost unprecedented among foods and beverages developed by universities. Under the contract, in which Kizakura shall pay \10 per sold bottle to both Waseda and KU, KU is receiving payment from the brewing company.
< Notice >
Neither "White Nile" nor "Ruby Nile" represents a reproduction of "ancient Egyptian beer." They are contemporary beers made with certain ingredients used for making alcoholic beverages drunk in ancient Egypt. Meanwhile, "Blue Nile" is a new type low-malt beer. Please visit the following Kizakura website for further information on these products.
http://kizakura.co.jp/ja/news/w_nile.html (External Link)
Inquiries
Yoshiro Sawada, Professor at Kyoto University Innovative Collaboration Center
TEL: 075-753-9155
E-MAIL: sawada@icc.(Please append "kyoto-u.ac.jp" at the end of E-mail address. )