World Cup 2018: Beer sales go up in Colombia during tournament

World
Europe

02:25

No beer, no football. The World Cup is not only a carnival for football fans, but also a feast of beer. A billion cans of the beverage are reported to be consumed during the tournament. In football-holic Colombia, both the people and local businesses find impetus from this drink.

It may be 7 am, 9 am or 1 pm but these football fans are at the nearest pub, grabbing a beer and cheering for their team.

In fact, Camilo is supposed to be at work, but not today Colombia is playing England to qualify for the quarter-finals.

CAMILO BOGOTA RESIDENT "In this country our team moves us. It doesn't matter the time or the date, we have to support them. Work doesn't matter. Anything to support our national team."

And for beer companies in Colombia, such passion translates into sales. According to the Colombian Brewing Company, Bavaria, the World Cup tournament has boosted beer consumption by up to five percent.

Colombian artisanal brewer, Pub Beer, says its sales have gone up 20 percent.

ARTURO BARRIOS BERNAL GENERAL MANAGER, PUB BEER "The biggest challenge is that all our clients come in at the same time, during the game. So it's concentrated for two hours. We need to prepare and plan for that."

According to International Market Research company Euromonitor, Colombia ranks third in annual beer consumption per capita in Latin America-after Brazil and Mexico.

For the early World Cup games, bars were allowed to open at 7 am, but beer can only be served after 10 am. For Pub Beer, this early start meant changing the menu.

ARTURO BARRIOS BERNAL GENERAL MANAGER, PUB BEER "We are a pub and specialize in beer. But now we need to change and offer breakfast menus, offer brunch."

Even though Yaneth and Amanda don't drink that early, watching the game at a bar is the best way to watch.

YANETH PIMIENTO BOGOTA RESIDENT "You get a lot of great energy, their happiness, the colors, the sounds. We are all happy Colombians who love football."

England beat Colombia in a penalty kick shoot-out to win a place in the quarter-finals. Which means these Colombians may suffer more than just hangovers for the next couple of days. Michelle Begue, CGTN, Bogota.