Carlton & United Breweries and AB InBev are pleased to announce the winners from the first ever Hack the World event held in Melbourne. The event attracted 60 of Melbourne’s brightest data scientists, software developers, innovators and engineers to create solutions for real world problems.

Teams were tasked to solve a series of problems, with just 36 hours to come up with a solution and mentoring from tech companies Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Aruba, to help leverage new technologies and make their ideas a reality. Three winning ideas emerged from the weekend:

Grand Prize – Beer Baron
An AR app, which interacts with your beer at the bar. The brand of your beer will create unique interactions with your beer bottle using AR technology, which you can record and send to your mates.

Best Consumer solution – PartyBesty
The app that tracks exactly how much alcohol you’re drinking during the night. By simply taking a picture of your drink label or barcode, the app uses AI to identify what you’re drinking and how much alcohol is in it.  The app also uses chatbot technology, which will call you to check-in, and if you need to call it a night, the app can call an Uber or your mates.

Best Customer solution – Txttobeer
The ultimate convenience tool in the bar, which combines the best of chatbot technology, allowing you to order drinks via text message and have it delivered to your table.

On the winners, AB InBev’s VP of Solutions for Asia Pacific South, Ken Cousins, said he was impressed by the talent and ideas he saw over the weekend.

“Over our Hack the World weekend, teams developed innovative prototypes to solve real world problems, we’re proud to have created this opportunity for future technology leaders to come together and compete.”

“Leveraging new technology like AR, chatbots is the way of the future, it’s an exciting space to be in, and these were exciting people to work with.” Mr Cousins said.

The winning team, Beer Baron received a prize of $10,000 to develop their app and an AWS device for every team member. While PartyBesty and Txttobeer won $5,000 of AWS credit.

Hack the World is AB InBev’s innovation platform and global community through which it commits to work with start-ups, innovators, entrepreneurs and students, building solutions to bring people together for a better world.

In a move likely to see Tigers fans queuing at their local bottle shops and pubs, CUB will launch a limited edition “Richmond Draught” Premiers can to celebrate their historic Grand Final win.

CUB Senior Marketing Manager, Sian Sullivan, said the Richmond Draught branded Carlton Draught cans were already on their way out of the warehouse and would hit the shelves in selected stores around Victoria from this Wednesday.

“With a historic victory like we saw on Saturday we thought we should definitely commemorate the occasion and give Tigers supporters something to remind them of the proud moment.”

“Our team has worked incredibly hard to get the designs done and the cans coming off the line at our brewery and into the hands of fans as fast as possible.”

“We originally looked at producing a smaller run of the limited edition cans but we soon released we’d underestimated the Tiger army, so we’ve decided to triple it.”

Richmond star Alex Rance was on hand at the CUB Abbottsford brewery to watch the first cases of Richmond Draught being canned and to add his autograph to a lucky few.

“Just when we thought it couldn’t get any sweeter to toast the Tiger Premiership, along comes Richmond Draught to keep the celebrations flowing,” said Rance.

“Knowing how much Tigers fans love to celebrate, slabs of Richmond Draught won’t last long.”

The limited edition cans are printed in the Richmond colours of yellow and black, and feature the final score for their 2017 Grand Final win and Norm Smith Medallist.

For media enquiries contact:

Paul Hitchins, External Communications Manager, Carlton & United Breweries

Paul.Hitchins@CUB.com.au

About CUB

Carlton & United Breweries (CUB) is one of the most iconic beer companies in Australia with our history dating back to 1832.

We brew some of Australia’s most famous beers, including Victoria Bitter, Carlton Draught, Crown Lager, Pure Blonde, Cascade, The Yak Ales, Great Northern as well as ciders including Mercury, Little Green and Bonamy’s. Our stable of brands includes global and premium beer brands such as Corona, Budweiser, Stella Artois.

CUB is a part of the AB InBev family.

Carlton & United Breweries (CUB), in partnership with CUB’s global company, AB InBev, today announced they will be bringing the first ever Hack the World event to Melbourne.

Hack the World is AB InBev’s innovation platform and global community through which it commits to work with start-ups, innovators, entrepreneurs and students, building solutions to bring people together for a better world.

The first Australian Hack the World event is looking for innovators, data scientists and entrepreneurs to hack the world together and find solutions to real business problems from 7- 8 October.

Sponsored and hosted by CUB at the company’s head office in Southbank, Melbourne, the event is partnered by Amazon Web Services (AWS), Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company, and organised by AngelHack.

AB InBev’s VP of Solutions for Asia Pacific South, Ken Cousins, said he was excited to bring Hack the World to Melbourne and to harness the creativity and innovation of Australians for the first time through this platform.

“We want to partner with great minds to give them the environment, mentoring and a stage to showcase their talents.”

“Through 36 hours of hacking real business problems, designers, developers and idea generators will collaborate to find the most innovative solutions through leveraging new technology. Bring your analytical and technical drive – we are ready!,” Mr Cousins said.

Hack the World teams will compete to help reimagine how to engage and transact with customers and consumers, to push the boundaries of what’s possible and help CUB shape the future of the beer industry.

Participants will have the chance to share in great prizes, including the possibility to join the talented CUB team and see their ideas rolled out through the business.

The winning team will receive a prize of $10,000 to develop their innovation and an AWS device for every team member. Other prizes include $5,000 AWS credits for both the best consumer and customer solution.

For more information on the event and for your opportunity to participate in bringing innovation to the Australian and Global beer world, please visit:

https://hacktheworld.beer/Melbourne_2017

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TcHXXicadI&t

4 Pines co-founder Jaron Mitchell says, “The reality is, we did a whip around one Friday night during after work drinks at the Truck Bar to see if we were in a position to buy AB InBev. We proposed three goats, a toasted sandwich maker and $315 in five cent coins but it just wasn’t enough to get them excited. What we did find out was that they were pretty keen to buy us.”

The deal will enable 4 Pines to expand its operations and retain and grow their people, culture and identity. 4 Pines will continue to create its iconic beer experiences from its Brookvale and Manly breweries.

The brewers’ joint aspiration is to see the unique 4 Pines identity and operations amplified to become locally famous in Australia and globally celebrated. The access 4 Pines will receive to AB InBev’s global resources will provide a platform to expedite the achievement of 4 Pines’ long term goals of customer & employee experience, environmental & social responsibility and innovation.

“When AB InBev first approached I was sceptical and didn’t think much more of it than an opportunity to nab some grand final tickets. We’ve spent the last 10 years building a business with ideals that have worked for us so far and we weren’t willing to compromise on anything. And we haven’t,” Jaron said.

“Our purpose has always been to restore the fun in people’s lives and forever challenge what the world imagines business should be. So we will keep doing what we’ve always done, except now we are able to realise our long-term goals even sooner and immediately roll out some plans that are seriously epic.”

Jan Craps, President of AB InBev’s Asia Pacific South Zone, said he was incredibly excited to be partnering with 4 Pines.

“Anyone who knows Jaron and the 4 Pines team know they do things differently, which is why we were so interested in teaming up with them.”

“4 Pines is a truly innovative business with a great range of beers, talented people and a genuine, values-driven culture which is incredibly important to us.”

“We will support their ambitious plans for the future, using our expertise and capability to help them get their exceptional beer to more people in Australia and globally.

“4 Pines brewers will continue to make beer from their breweries on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, and continue doing what they do best – having fun making some of the world’s best and most outstanding beers,” Jan Craps said.

The 4 Pines team will be unchanged and management will remain in place to help grow the business.

Enjoying a beer with friends or family is an opportunity to create great memories.

We are passionate about brewing great beers, but we know that not all consumers make smart drinking choices all of the time.

At AB InBev, we are committed to smart drinking, and we have worked over the last thirty years to raise awareness and take action to reduce the harmful use of alcohol.

Since 2010 we have celebrated Global Be(er) Responsible Day (GBRD) – a day of the year when our colleagues around the world come together with consumers, industry peers and our business and community partners to promote smart drinking and to celebrate our year-round commitment.

On 15 September this year, our GBRD focus is “Drink Smart Today, Celebrate Tomorrow.” We are actively collaborating with partners to reduce the harmful use of alcohol and celebrate smart drinking choices. By working together, we hope to create a future where every experience with beer is a positive one.

Since 2015, we have committed to four Global Smart Drinking Goals:

• Reduce the harmful use of alcohol by at least 10% in six pilot cities by the end of 2020, and implement best practices globally by the end of 2025.
• Influence social norms and individual behaviors to reduce harmful alcohol use by investing at least US$1 billion across our markets in dedicated social marketing campaigns and related programs by the end of 2025.
• Ensure no-alcohol and lower-alcohol beer products form at least 20% of our global beer volume by the end of 2025. Today, our expanding portfolio of these beers includes more than 15 brands, including Beck’s Blue, Brahma 0.0%, Jupiler 0.0%, and Corona Cero.
• Place a guidance label on all our beer products in all our markets by the end of 2020, and increase alcohol health literacy by the end of 2025.

The harmful use of alcohol remains an issue of significant concern to us, as well as to communities, governments and societies. As Carlos Brito, AB InBev CEO, notes:

“We all live on this planet together. We all drive the same roads. We all look for opportunities to enjoy the good things in life.

So it’s up to all of us to foster a culture of smart drinking globally to reduce the harmful use of alcohol. We at AB InBev are committed to doing our part.”

We know we have a role to play. And, we believe that to promote smart drinking, more needs to be done by us, our industry peers, families, civil society, and government.

We aspire for a healthier world where every experience with beer is a positive one. Let’s drink smart today to celebrate tomorrow!

#ABInBevSmartDrinking

Around 8 million tons of plastic waste enter the oceans each year.

If current marine pollution trends continue, the oceans will contain more plastic than fish by the year 2050.

These are just two reasons why, on International Recycling Day, Corona announced a partnership to help end marine plastic pollution, one of the biggest threats to the health and survival of the planet’s most important ecosystem – the world’s oceans.

Corona’s commitment
In collaboration with marine organization Parley for the Oceans, Corona has pledged to protect 100 islands from marine plastic pollution by 2020.

Parley works with the U.N., global leaders, activists and brands to reduce ocean plastic by cleaning it up, using alternative materials and finding innovative ways to upcycle waste.

The beach and ocean are Corona’s home, and the brand
is committed to protecting its heart and homeland.

The long-term partnership launches with a plan to protect islands in six key regions – Mexico, the Maldives, Australia, Chile, Italy and the Dominican Republic.

The brand has a history of engaging local communities to clean their beaches, explains Thiago Zanettini, Corona’s Global Vice President.

“Our brand is at home at the beach and we always tried our best to protect it,” he says.

“More than four years ago we started a global initiative called ‘Save the Beach’ in several countries around the world, featuring a robust network of more than 50,000 volunteers in Mexico.

“The partnership with Parley for the Oceans is an evolution of our work to protect paradise in a global, sustainable and disruptive way by focusing on protecting 100 islands – the most iconic symbols of Corona’s paradise.”

Parley’s A.I.R strategy
Corona is implementing the Parley Avoid, Intercept, Redesign strategy, from brewery and distribution to head office colleagues, with collaborative engagement at its core.

Empowering change
Corona and Parley are also engaging like-minded global ambassadors to drive awareness of the problem.

Many actors, artists, filmmakers and scientists attended Parley Ocean School in the Maldives, an immersive experience bringing together a variety of different people in the ultimate classroom, the Indian Ocean.

“The Maldives was an eye-opening experience,” said Diego Luna, actor and Corona x Parley ambassador. “You see the problem up close and you realize that we are destroying paradise through our careless use of plastic.

“All of us can be part of the solution and help our beaches and oceans by taking simple actions to use less plastic in our daily lives, recycle more, and educate the people around us to do the same.”

In addition to the pledge to protect 100 Islands, Corona is also reducing plastic use across all events, including Corona Sunsets – the worldwide series of festivals – reaching more than 350,000 consumers each year.

For more information about the Corona and Parley partnership visit: www.coronaxparley.com

Elizabeth is a young mother living in the west of Kenya. For many years, one of the most challenging tasks she faced each day was to fetch water – the long walk there and back meant she spent four hours every day collecting and carrying all the water needed by the family for drinking, cooking, washing and cleaning.

Thanks to Water.org, a non-profit organization co-founded by Matt Damon and Gary White, her community now has access to safe water. This gave Elizabeth her time back, allowing her to fulfil her dream of starting a small business as a seamstress.

Watch ‘Elizabeth’s Dream’ on stellaartois.com.

Today, 663 million people in the developing world lack access to safe water. This crisis disproportionately affects women and children, who spend 125 million hours collecting water for their families.

In 2015, Stella Artois and Water.org launched a campaign called Buy A Lady A Drink, to help raise awareness of the global water crisis.  As part of the campaign we created limited-edition Stella Artois Chalices, designed by developing-world artists, to engage consumers to contribute to the cause. For each Chalice purchased, $6.25 goes to Water.org, which will help Water.org provide five years’ access to safe water for one person in the developing world. As of January 1, 2017 we had sold more than 225,000 chalices. Combined with a $3m direct donation by Stella Artois, our 2015-2016 campaign has helped Water.org provide access to safe water to more than 800,000 people – and we’re not done yet.

Early in 2017, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Stella Artois and Water.org announced a new four year commitment, with a goal to help provide 3.5 million people with access to safe water by 2020 through their partnership.

And to celebrate World Water Day on 22 March, Stella Artois and Water.org unveiled a public art installation at The Oculus, in New York, that visualized the impact of the Buy A Lady A Drink campaign. Brought to life by internationally renowned art and architecture practice Snarkitecture, ‘The Water Clouds by Stella Artois’ was a representation of the number of people in the developing world to date who will gain access to safe water through the partnership.

The Buy A Lady A Drink campaign is now rolling out into other countries. For 2017, the campaign features three new limited-edition chalices, designed by local artists in Cambodia, Uganda and Brazil.

“I have four daughters, and it’s tough to imagine them having to walk for hours every day to get clean water, as so many women around the world do,” said Water.org co-founder Matt Damon. “We want to put an end to these journeys. Through our partnership with Stella Artois we’re inviting consumers around the world to help us do this.”

To find out more – or to buy a chalice – go to the ‘Buy The Lady A Drink’ website or visit Water.org.

With the highly anticipated return of the World Surf League kicking off this week at the Quiksilver & Roxy Pro on the Gold Coast, Corona and its long time Australian creative agency MC Creative have built Casa Corona – the ultimate location for spectators to kick back, enjoy ice-cold Coronas and watch the world’s best surfers at one of Australia’s best waves.

A Mexican-style beach bar right on the sand at Snapper Rocks, Casa Corona is open to the public from 9am each day during the competition waiting period, serving refreshments, Mexican food and icy beers from 11AM.

Corona is the official beer of the WSL, through a global partnership which commenced in 2016. The Quiksilver and Roxy Pro is the first event on the WSL calendar and the Casa Corona activation will set the benchmark for Corona’s on site presence at WSL events around the world this year.

“Casa Corona has raised the bar in terms of brand activation for Corona,” said Andrew Vance, Marketing Manager for Corona Australia. “It will no doubt become an iconic part of this event moving forward, and for the next ten days surfing fans will have the opportunity to experience a live interpretation of our From Where You’d Rather Be brand promise.”

For those who are more inclined to participate than spectate, Casa Corona Board Hire is also available on site. Corona has called upon four of its favourite shapers – Neal Purchase Jnr, Dead Kooks, Morning of the Earth Surfboards, and Ben McTavish – to mow through some foam and deliver twelve hand-shaped custom surfboards, available for anyone at the event to borrow and surf.

Casa Corona is open 9AM – 6PM daily during the competition period.

coronaextra.com.au/casa-corona-snapper-rocks