Brazil's economic scenario and the global energy crisis were threatening the most important partner a beer brand could have: Bars and restaurants. Without them, the Heineken business simply wouldn't exist. So understanding that our business is far bigger than just our business, Heineken took the problems of bars as Heineken's own problems. Inventing a creative solution to help them survive at a difficult moment. All while expanding our sustainable program to many of our partners, which reinforced Heineken credibility.

Bars felt the impact caused by the pandemic. When things seemed to be getting better, another crisis came: the energy crisis. In addition, years of a terrible government for economic and environmental topics. Brazil's finances were the worst registered in the last four decades, there was a risk of blackout because of the lack of rain, and the energy price has risen more than 80% in the last 6 years. So the challenge was to help these partners again and do what the president and his ministers didn't do.

Heineken is 100% produced with green energy in Brazil and our breweries produce an excess of solar energy. So we decided to channel this clean energy from our solar farms to our partner bars as a way of extending this green energy chain and help them to deal with the energy crisis the world has been facing. It is a way of saying that Heineken is on their side even in the most difficult times.

First, we closed a deal with our solar energy producers to buy part of this energy, and then we mapped which partner bars could receive it.

Then, through social media, CRM efforts and geolocated media targeting all of Brazil, we invited bar owners to join the program with no costs and no need for installation. All they needed to do was fill their data into the beer power program website.

And more: Heineken also gave traditional media a new purpose, by creating the Solar Billboard. This billboard was made from solar panels, which was connected to bars, giving them a taste of Heineken green energy, helping bar owners to save their electricity bills and also cooling the Heineken of their consumers.

Through a partnership with a solar energy company we used the distributed generation system to inject all this clean energy into the public energy network, giving energy credits to partner bars which subscribed to the program. A geolocated acquisition campaign took place in states where Heineken's clean energy was already available throughout 2022. And, to increase awareness of the program, we also installed the Solar Billboard next to selected bars, giving them a sample of Heineken sustainable energy.

The project truly brought benefits to our partners. In the first year of the Beer Power Program, we channeled more than 1,000,000.000 kWh to more than 1,700 bars and saved approximately R$ 1.6 million on energy bills. And it's growing right now. There are more than 3,000 bars on the waiting list for 2023/24, and Heineken is expanding the program to more states in Brazil. 100% of the bars connected to Solar Billboards joined the program. Our goal is to have at least 50% of our sales points using solar energy by 2030.

Beer brands sponsor cool parties, sporting events, big music festivals and many music live broadcasts (pandemic times). OK, Heineken itself does this, too. The question is: when will the bars get support? With the energy crisis and the political situation playing against them, Heineken decided to create a project that values this real partnership.

Brazil has been going through one of the hardest times ever. The former president, Jair Bolsonaro, broke off the sustainability agenda, reverting several improvements toward a green energy future. Furthermore, inflation, global warming, and the global crisis have made energy prices rise more than 80% in the last 4 years. People in Brazil were feeling abandoned by the government in both areas: finance and sustainability. And, from an energetic perspective, only 10% of Brazil's energetic matrix was solar, so many Brazilians still had a prejudice against it. So the importance of the solar billboards to the project.