ONGWEDIVA – Desert Lager Namibia will continue to promote and distribute their beer unhindered contrary to a notice from Namibia Breweries Ltd instructing the owners HP97 to immediately cease sales, production and marketing effective from January 28 this year.
Desert Lager owners maintain the allegations by Namibia Breweries that the beer is produced using the Tafel Lite recipe are devoid of any truth and that it is damaging to the new alcoholic brand.
“These allegations are devoid of any truth and HP97 outrightly deny that Desert Lager is produced using NBL recipes, and categorically place it on record that neither the owners or co-packer of Desert Lager are in possession of the Tafel Lite recipe, any of NBL recipes or intellectual property in any form or shape,” said the team representing Desert Lager.
According to the Desert Lager team, Namibia Breweries has on its part failed to provide HP97 with the chemical and scientific analyses on which it based its allegations as requested through their legal team.
HP97 through its lawyers had requested Namibia Breweries to provide them with the brewery’s chemical report on Desert Lager, a copy of the NBL chemical analysis report on the NBL Tafel Lite liquid as well as a copy of reference of the copyright number, patent number or the intellectual property registration number of the recipe of NBL’s Tafel Lite.
“We are not surprised by the failure on the part of Namibia Breweries to produce any chemical and scientific analyses as there is no truth in the allegations that any of its intellectual property may have been used in the production of Desert Lager,” the team further stated.
The team maintained Desert Lager is uniquely made with a different malt variety, hop variety, beer fermenting yeast strain and that it is also sourced from different suppliers to that of NBL.
The team further said that their beer was not launched on the premise to fight or sabotage anyone’s brand or business, but it was formed to explore collaboration and synergies with local businesses, large or small in order to work together towards a common purpose of economic progression.
HP97 is thus committed to create economic opportunities for the Namibian people, the team says.