Hasseröder Hasseroeder was first founded in 1872 as "Zum Auerhahn" in Wernigerode, a town in the Harz region of what today is the eastern German state Saxony-Anhalt. During communist times, Hasseröder was very popular in the Harz region. Following the fall of the Berlin Wall, the beer became the market leader in eastern Germany. Now, Dito says, Hasseröder has its sites set on seducing western German beer drinkers. (Lawton, 2009)
...the key to Hasseröder's success – it is the sixth most popular beer in Germany and the undisputed leader in the eastern part of the country – is possibly its regional origin.
In communist East Germany, beers often could only be sold in their immediate area, and none was allowed to dominate. Good ones were often exported to the West for hard currency. But Hasseröder – brewed in the small town of Wernigerode – was the main beer in the mountainous Harz region of eastern Germany, a favourite holiday resort.
"Because of the many holidaymakers that came to the Harz, a lot of outsiders found out about the beer,” Klehr explains. “Hasseröder became a favourite present to bring back."
Like many East German brands, Hasseröder struggled for a few years following the reunification, as people flocked towards West German products. But old East German favourites soon regained their hold, and an apocryphal story tells how football and Hasseröder came together in serendipitous union for the UEFA Cup Final in Turin, Italy in 1993.
"The actual sponsor pulled out at short notice, and a truck with Hasseröder placards on its way to another event happened to be nearby," says Klehr. "An East German beer at the UEFA cup final was a real bombshell, and a source of great pride for East German consumers."
And now AB InBev is hoping Hasseröder’s exposure at this year’s World Cup will help make it a nationwide favourite. (Knight, 2010)Knight, B. (2010) Brewer banishes Bud to crown Hasseröder official World Cup beer. [Online] http://www.thelocal.de/society/20100623-28047.html?utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=134 [29/07/2010]
Lawton, C. (2009) Ditching the 'Dishwater': Eastern German Beer Scores with World Cup Sponsorship. [Online] http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/0,1518,657877,00.html [29/07/2010]
