Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Mexican Brewery Targets the LGBT Market... and Sells Out of Beer


Jalisco based Minerva brewery is already producing its second lot of Salamandra and Purple Hand beers, their “Artisan Honey-Ales” that have a citrus flavor. Minerva shocked many marketers in Mexico when it dared to target both brews primarily toward the LGBT market. But those that had their doubts are now looking the other way, as both beers have been a resounding success, completely selling out their first lot of 500 cases in just a week. 

The name “Purple Hand” is a reference and homage of sorts to the night of Halloween, 1969, when sixty members of the Gay Liberation Front and the Society for Individual Rights protested in front of the San Francisco’s Examiner in response to a series of news articles disparaging LGBT people in San Francisco’s gay bars and clubs. The peaceful protest against the “homophobic editorial policies” of the Examiner turned tumultuous when Examiner employees doused the crowd with printers ink. The protestors used the ink to stamp purple hand prints throughout downtown San Francisco, in what became one of the most visible demonstrations of gay power. 

Since launching the products, Minerva has received offers by the US, Argentina, Ecuador, Chile, Colombia and Japan, interested in importing the beer.

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