Something's brewing in business class…

JUSTISIA SHIPENA
Joshua Britz

Every year Monika Jahnke and her matric business class, leave the classroom to visit Namibia’s most recognised beverages company, Namibia Breweries Limited (NBL). Students were allowed to take a peek behind the curtain to see what goes into making, bottling and shipping some of Namibia’s favourite drinks. The outing is meant as a practical showcase of business principles taught in the classroom, helping students ground abstract ideas with a real world example.

After school, on Wednesday, 24th of July, the 2019 matric class hopped into the school bus and left for the brewery. Outfitted with high visibility vests, the class was guided through the facility. Starting of course with where water is added to barley, hops and yeast, which is then left to ferment, as required by the 1516 Reinheitsgebot or purity law. Next were the giant silver holding tanks where the beer is stored. Finally, they were led through the bottling facility. A bustling army of machines, dotted with workers bottling a truly impressive 50 000 cans per hour, per bottling line. With three concurrent bottling lines, it was certainly a sight to behold.

Whether it is the Berliner Pilsner from Berlin or the Erdinger from Erding, it is not uncommon for German beers to be named after the town that brews it. Our homebrewed Windhoek Lager is no exception. Each bottle or can, proudly carries the Namibian name to pubs all across the globe. NBL has more to offer than just Windhoek Lager; they are home to other beers including Tafel Lager, Hansa Draught and Heiniken to name a few. Their catalogue is further bolstered by their AquaSplash brand of mineral water, their line of assorted McKane mixers and their non-alcoholic Vigo brand of drinks.

The students left with a new appreciation for the work behind NBL and its products.