Brewer SABMiller employs some 70,000 employees in over 75 countries and is known for being at the helm of more than 200 beer brands. It is also seeing increasing trade in the soft drink arena.

Some of the identifiable brands in the portfolio include international beers such as Miller Genuine Draft, Pilsner Urquell, Grolsch, and Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Grolsch, as well as local brands such as Águila, Castle, Miller Lite, Snow, Tyskie and Victoria Bitter.

However, it’s not just the beer that occupies the company. Many people are unaware that every year the company sets out to commit millions of dollars to supporting entrepreneurship projects in many of its markets. This year alone, SABMiller invested over US$6 million in competition programmes to foster entrepreneurial activity worldwide.

The aim of the company’s endeavours is to create the support networks that micro and small businesses need to survive and thrive. As is widely reported, the very smallest enterprises are critical to economic growth in that they often drive improvements in innovation, play a key role within communities and, of course, meet the needs of local consumers and larger businesses. They create local employment and incomes, bring people out of poverty and afford more economic empowerment to many women.

What is the company doing?

Starting in South Africa, the business has been concerned with supporting entrepreneurs since 1995 and now has programmes all over the world. The company takes the viewpoint that creating dynamic, resilient growth in small enterprises requires more than simply offering start-up grants or seed funding. Instead, it focuses on taking an ‘ecosystem’ approach to supporting entrepreneurship; building supporting networks which provide capacity building, mentoring and access to funds and markets.

SABMiller does this because it believes it makes business sense. Where societies and economies thrive, its business also thrives. This animation illustrates just some of the programmes that it has around the world, helping entrepreneurs to grow and succeed, contributing to the growth and success of their own communities.