Three Horses Beer

In 1953 the French company Rochefortaise launched ''Société Tananarivienne d'Articles Réfrigérés (STAR)'' (Antananarivo Company of Refrigerated Products) and its associated factory in Antananarivo, Madagascar, for the exclusive production and distribution of Coca-Cola in Madagascar. In 2011 Groupe Fraise sold Star Breweries to French brewer Castel. ==Reception==

In the Malagasy market, THB Pilsener remains the most popular Malagasy brand of beer and the most popular of any brand of beer sold in Madagascar. It is estimated that four liters per person are sold each year in Madagascar. THB has been described as an "emblem" of the country and a "national symbol". THB Fresh also won a gold medal at the Monde Sélection de Bruxelles in 2012. ==Production==

THB Pilsener, the oldest and most popular THB beer, is a 5.4% abv pale lager light in color with a medium body, thin head, and balanced, mildly bitter flavor. The original Fresh shandy, which has a lemon taste, has also temporarily been offered in several other flavors, including mint, raspberry, and apple. Other variants include THB Special, with 6.2% alcohol, THB is produced in two breweries in Madagascar: the original brewery, located in Antsirabe, and a second in Antsiranana. The Antsirabe factory produces 100 million bottles and 100,000 cans of THB per year. Over 2,500 tonnes of malt and 3,500 tonnes of corn are grown annually in the surrounding Vakinankaratra region for the production of THB. ==Distribution==

Star Breweries distributes THB through a network of regional wholesalers who provide the product to local vendors. Orders are typically sent to the factories weekly and are filled within two weeks. All exported THB beer was packaged in aluminum cans manufactured at the Antsirabe brewery; canned THB was also made available alongside the traditional glass bottles in markets in Madagascar that same year. In 2006 the Star Brewery, which employs 1,500 staff, was producing 700,000 hectoliters of beer annually out of the total market share of 800,000; 550,000 hectoliters were produced at the Antsirabe Star Brewery alone. ==Marketing==

's ban on media advertisement of alcoholic beverages. To create the original label for THB, Star Breweries opted to copy an existing label for a Dutch beer brand called The Holland Beer, which featured the image of three horses. This was done partly because of the association between Antsirabe and its history of horse breeding; the brand took the name Three Horses Beer based on this design. The label also features the brand's slogan, Soa Ny Fiarahantsika ("The Pleasure of Being Together"). The labels were originally printed in the Netherlands and shipped to Madagascar before eventually being produced on the local market; THB coasters continue to be produced in Europe. A new logo was adopted for the canned THB before being expanded in 2014 to the 33 cl bottled THB. The new logo features three stylized, outlined white horses, now facing right to represent a focus on the future. Red remains the predominant color. Advertising alcohol on television and in the press was outlawed under Marc Ravalomanana. To maximize the brand recognition of THB, the company altered the label for its Fresh shandy, which was exempt from this ban due to its low alcohol content, to match the THB Pilsener design but using a green background instead of the pilsener's red. Three Horses Beer sponsors the THB Champions League, the national football championship. Many popular musical artists have advertised THB, including superstars Jerry Marcoss, AmbondronA, Samoëla, Tsiliva, Tence Mena and Jaojoby. In 2015, in honor of the 55th anniversary of national independence, Star Breweries launched a new campaign to promote the beer. The company announced a new slogan, "THB eo foana e!" (THB always!) to be promoted alongside its historic slogan. A song by the same name, written and performed by BIG MJ and the group Tambour Gasy, and an accompanying music video, will promote the beer and the new slogan. ==References==