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Reuters

Egyptian Mohammad Abdelazeem, 35, does not drink alcohol. But he does consume three or four cans per day of Moussy and Fayrouz – alcohol-free beers.
Brewers including Carlsberg and Anheuser-Busch InBev say interest is growing in such alcohol-free brews across the Middle East and North Africa, presenting opportunities in a region with some of the lowest alcohol consumption rates globally.
Reuters spoke to eight Egyptian consumers, shopkeepers or cafe owners – including Abdelazeem – who said they or their customers have recently switched to non-alcoholic beers, ditching US soft drinks brands like Pepsi and Coca-Cola because they see them as supportive of Israel amid its bombardment of Palestine.
PepsiCo, which acquired Israel-based SodaStream in 2018, and Coca-Cola did not respond to a request for comment.

There is also a broader shift in consumer tastes under way, some executives say.
AB InBev has seen demand for zero-alcohol brews rising among residents of some Middle Eastern countries, including Saudi Arabia, according to Jason Warner, its chief executive officer for Europe and the Middle East. Sales to tourists and expatriates have also grown.

AB InBev launched its flagship alcohol-free beer, Corona Cero, in Saudi Arabia in the first quarter of 2024. Announcing the planned launch in September 2023, Brian Perkins, AB InBev’s head of Western Europe, said Corona Cero offered “new frontiers of growth and brand building in expansion markets”.
Abdelazeem, a genetics researcher, said he used to drink seven or eight cans of Pepsi or Coca-Cola every day, but worried about its health impacts. He sees drinks like Carlsberg’s Moussy as being good for digestive health and preventing kidney stones, adding his whole family had now made the switch.
“Honestly, we like it even more given its health benefits,” he said.

Moussy is made by avoiding alcoholic fermentation, instead of by removing alcohol afterwards as is common with many non-alcoholic beers. Carlsberg refers to Moussy as a non-alcoholic beer, although it is marketed as a malt beverage in Egypt, where it has been sold for 30 years.
While Carlsberg said growing interest in zero-alcohol brews presented an opportunity in the Middle East and North Africa, they were unlikely to make any substantial contribution to revenues any time soon.
“Culturally it is going to take time for people to be comfortable with the notion that it is a beer,” chief executive officer Jacob Aarup-Andersen said in an interview earlier this year.
Carlsberg’s teams were working to develop markets in the region, but this was a long-term endeavour, he added.
AB InBev sees demand for non-alcoholic beer in the Middle East mostly concentrated in international venues like hotels and Western restaurants. While trends in cosmopolitan cities tend to spread over time, AB InBev had no plans to try to drive uptake, Warner said.

Heineken’s net revenue grew by upwards of 40 per cent in Egypt in the first half of this year, in part thanks to sales of Fayrouz. The company does not break down its results by country and declined to provide further details.
Non-alcoholic beers remain a small part of brewers’ revenues, but are increasingly central to strategy as they offer growth. So far, that has mostly been driven by expanding the opportunities for existing drinkers to sip on beer brands, such as during working lunches.
The executives’ comments, however, indicate potential for zero-alcohol brews to gain new customers in nations with large populations that brewers have barely penetrated to date.
While all brewers operate in the Middle East and North Africa, their beer sales in many countries are focused on a niche market of travellers and expatriates..
Brands like Carlsberg’s Moussy and Heineken’s Fayrouz, by contrast, have targeted the local population.

Carlsberg began local production of Moussy in Egypt in 2023, and has also built a local sourcing hub in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where it says Moussy and another Carlsberg brand, Holsten, hold over 50 per cent of the zero-alcohol beer market.
It has developed new flavours, including lemon and mint, a popular taste locally.
AB InBev’s chief marketing officer, Marcel Marcondes, said the company was not making any specific effort to grow in Middle Eastern markets.
Even indirect promotion of alcohol is prohibited in Gulf nations, including the United Arab Emirates, and it is unclear if advertising a zero-alcohol version of an otherwise alcoholic brand would class as such, said David Yates, of corporate law firm Al Tamimi & Company.
In some countries, zero-alcohol brews are growing for different reasons, such as in Egypt where they are perceived to be good for digestion, said Alexandra Molokova, research analyst at market research firm Euromonitor International.
This presents an opportunity for brewers, but they need to adapt their strategies and pricing to reflect these differing motivations, added Susie Goldspink, head of no- and low-alcohol insights at beverage market research firm IWSR.
Most customers in the region would otherwise be drinking a soft drink or hot drink – far cheaper than the alcoholic beers brewers usually price alcohol-free beers in line with, she said.


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A bottle of Corona Cero, a non-alcoholic beer. Photo: Bloomberg

Cans of Corona Cero, a zero-alcohol beer from Anheuser-Busch InBev. Demand for alcohol-free beers from residents of Middle Eastern countries has been rising, the company says. Competitors report a similar pattern. Photo: Reuters 

Bottles of Moussy non-alcoholic beer are displayed at a supermarket in Manama, Bahrain. Photo: Reuters

A bottle of Corona Cero, a non-alcoholic beer manufactured by AB InBev. The brewer launched its flagship zero-alcohol beer in Saudi Arabia this year. Photo: Bloomberg

A customer buys non-alcoholic Moussy beers at a supermarket in Manama, Bahrain. Photo: Reuters

Non-alcoholic beers including Moussy and Fayrouz on shelves at a supermarket on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. Photo: Reuters

Chilled Moussy non-alcoholic beer on sale at a market in Cairo, Egypt, where local production of the drink began in 2023. Photo: Reuters

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Leonard Cheung is co-owner and executive chef of Cultivate, which offers a mixture of sparkling teas and fresh juices that rotate every few weeks alongside the dishes. Photo: Cultivate

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ANAHEIM, CA - JUNE 21: Infinity Fizz - a non-alcoholic "Mocktail"  drink at Lamplight Lounge made with Powerade Mountain Berry Blast, apple juice, and Cherry pearls in a glass with dry ice on the bottom so the drink bubbles at Pixar Pier in Disney California Adventure Park in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, June 21, 2018. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen/Orange County Register via Getty Images)

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Middle East

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Alcohol-free beer sales grow in the Middle East, for health reasons and because, amid Gaza war, Pepsi and Coca-Cola are seen as pro-Israel


Non-alcoholic beers such as Corona Cero, Moussy and Fayrouz see growth in the Middle East, with customers viewing them as healthier than cola – and US soft-drink brands as pro-Israel amid Gaza war.


Wellness

Gen Z

Israel-Gaza war