An entrepreneur is looking to bring the vibrant culture of Brazil to Scottish pubs and bars this year as his beer brand expands across the Scottish on-trade.
Favela Cerveja was launched by entrepreneur Charles Gay in 2018 after two years of development.
Gay, whose businesses have included Brazilian swimwear brands, has spent a lot of time in Brazil through the years – including in the famous favelas – falling in love with the culture and the people in the process.
“I would go four or five times a year. Mainly to Rio for photoshoots,” he told SLTN at the recent ScotHot trade show.
“We would meet with the local people, go up into the favelas. We would try and do shoots in as many different places as possible. So I got to experience a variety of cultures over there, from the rich and the famous all the way down to the working class people on the beach.
“Honestly, I fell in love with the place. And every time I go back it just reminds me of why I’m doing what I’m doing.”
And he said he was determined to bring a slice of that lifestyle back to the UK in the form of a Brazilian-inspired beer.
“What we’re trying to do is take my experience, take my lessons, take my cultural experience with people and build this authentic beer brand,” he said. “That’s why it’s called Favela, because when you hear ‘Favela’ you know it’s Brazilian. It’s not Portuguese, it’s not Spanish, it’s not Italian, it’s Brazilian. Everybody knows Favela is in Brazil.”
Although the beer is brewed in the UK, Charles said the brand’s heart is very much in Latin America. And he reckoned the Brazilian attitude could be very welcome in the much more self-conscious UK.
“There’s a big cultural difference in Brazil, which is really raw, really untapped, not Westernised at all,” he said.
“There’s no Starbucks on every corner, no McDonald’s everywhere – there’s literally the rawness of Brazil that you don’t get anywhere else.
“That’s why I love it. And I go there and think ‘I need to bring that, because people are too self conscious nowadays. They’re full of social media. They’re looking at people thinking ‘I need to look like that’.
“You don’t need to look like that. You don’t need to be like that. Be your own self. Be your own skin. And enjoy it. And that’s kind of what we’re trying to achieve.”
While the brand was inspired by passion, it wasn’t launched on a whim. Charles said it took he and his team two years to land on the right recipe for the beer, which uses organic ingredients, is vegan-friendly and gluten-free.
“At that time gluten-free was nothing,” he recalled. “In a supermarket you’d have one little shelf with a bit of bread and that was it. Now there’s a whole aisle full of gluten-free product.
“Back then in 2016 it was about 17% of the American population or something crazy were gluten intolerant, and I was thinking to myself, like every other trend in the world, we’re going to follow them at some point, and lo and behold we did.
“The younger generation in my office were like ‘it needs to be gluten-free, it needs to be organic’ and I listened to them.”
As for any fledgling brand, securing listings is the name of the game for Favela as it looks to expand in Scotland.
The on-trade is the primary focus for the brand, and so far Favela is stocked by venues including Boteco Do Brasil, Republic Bier Halle, West Side Tavern and The Locale.
And as the team look to expand the brand’s reach further, Charles has recruited veteran brand builder Fiona ‘Tiger’ Sweeney to help grow Favela across the trade.
With experience on brands including Tiger Beer (hence the nickname), Red Bull and Rekorderlig, Fiona is more than aware of what it takes to establish a new name in the market.
Charles described the Scottish veteran as ‘a whirlwind’.
“She’s got great recognition in the industry,” he said.
“A fantastic ethos behind understanding what it is to launch a new brand. That was my past. I know it was in the fashion industry, but I launched brands. That’s what we did. That’s my knowledge and experience.
“When I met her and she got it, she was in straight away. She’s amazing.”
And Charles is confident that, despite the number of names already in the beer market, there’s a clear opportunity for Favela to offer something different.
He explained: “European beers are great. I’ve drank European beers for a long time. But when you’re thinking about trying to find new opportunities, you want to find new territories people have not explored.
“And Brazil is one of them. There are others out there but, for me, everyone I speak to about Brazil – even if they’ve never been to Brazil – they love it. Because they love Pele, they love football. The sexiest women in the world come from Brazil. They’ve got the most amazing beaches in the world. You’ve got the best sports people in the world.
“Why wouldn’t you love the place? There’s a lot of amazing connotations behind Brazil.
“So when we’re selling Brazil as a brand, it sells itself. All we have to do is bring a good quality product.”
