• Situation:

Farms in northern Colombia’s mountainous Cordoba region suffer from unprecedented rainfall due to rapid climate change.

In 2022, over 4.9 million acres of Colombia’s crops were lost during rainy season, including cassava, the main ingredient used to make Cerveza Nativa.

The inability to proactively protect farmers’ crops, fields and incomes are at great risk and traditional weather measuring tools simply can’t keep up.

• Brief:

Help cassava farmers better protect their crops from the devastating effects of climate change.

• Objectives:

• Strengthen crop and financial security for farmers

• Ensure adequate cassava supply to make Cerveza Nativa

• Reinforce brand loyalty amongst cassava farmers

• Integrate Nativa Meter with minimal production disruption

• Budget

See confidential section below

• Project scale and volume

Launching 20,000 bottles, selling out in less than a week we are protecting 280 thousand acres of Colombian farmland.

• Brand relevance

Cerveza Nativa is a brand whose main ingredient is grown by northern Colombian farmers, and then brewed for those same farmers to enjoy. The Nativa brand itself was created by AB InBev specifically to help Colombia's farmers and their farmland thrive.

The Nativa Meter itself is of extreme relevance because this tool helps these farmers work to secure the cassava they sell to Nativa, so that production of their favorite beer won’t be uninterrupted due to lack of supply, or go up in price if cassava has to be brought in from other places.

• Target audience

Small independent farmers in northern Colombia

Men and women age 18- 55+

Minimal education, but literate

Average income:, about $1700 USD/annually

• Design elements/integration

The Nativa Meter label is consistent with existing branding and color palate.

• Design touchpoints

Farmers look at their Nativa Meters daily to get rainfall totals, especially during rainy season. If the label fades away, a $0.34 USD replacement is as close as the nearest market.

• Materials, style elements, design choices

The look and feel is in keeping with traditional regional aesthetics and existing packaging.

• Design development and process

We worked with meteorologists throughout the process to ensure accuracy while staying true to the design.

• Choice of campaign elements

Because of tremendous brand loyalty, word of mouth sufficed.

• Approach

A neighborly helping hand between friends, versus a one-way conversation between brand and consumer.

• Scale

Initial production run was 20,000 bottles that now protect 280,000 acres of crops – 4% of all Colombian farmland.

Nativa’s goal is to cover 50% by 2025.

• Sales

38% sales increase in the Cordoba region only from March-April 2023. The initial run of 20,000 Nativa Meter bottles sold out in less than a week across the region and were put to use almost immediately.

• Engagement

A 200% increase in brand interactions from March-April 2023.

We are also sharing Nativa Meter’s innovation with other local crop beers in Ab InBev’s portfolio in countries whose farmers also suffer from the effects of climate change, starting with beers, “Nuestra Siembra” and “Golden.”

• Achievement against business targets

75% increase in brand favorability men and women 18-55 in northern Colombia.

81% increase in purchase intent in the northern region.

• Other KPIs

At $0.34 USD/beer, farmers save 98% on buying a rain gauge versus retail ($18 USD). Overall net savings from the initial run of 20,000 bottles is $353,200, or roughly, the equivalent of 208 Colombian farmers’ annual incomes.

Because Colombia’s farmers live well below the poverty line, washed out crops mean wiped out income. Being able to help protect their crops with a rain gauge for almost nothing is huge. Getting one that’s already on the bottle of something farmers already buy and drink is massive.

Lastly, uneven mountainous terrain makes the most advanced up-to-date weather radar tracking systems unable to accurately depict current and precise weather patterns. This makes the Nativa Meter’s reportage of conditions in these areas crucial to helping farmers in the region prepare for bad weather.