AB INBEV
As the company ’ s commitment to ESG and the UNSDGs stands , the success of farmers in Africa is within its best interests .
“ The mistake made in the past is to try and go all-in at once ,” says Els . “ It ’ s about developing your local suppliers while maintaining the relationship with your international supply . We ensure that standards , training , quality , health and safety are top of mind before even talking about increased volumes , pricing , quality , and begin by making sure operations are aligned with the attributes we expect from any business globally .”
Not only does this strategy help to build resilience across the business , but allows AB InBev to make its mark , by providing suppliers with new markets and better ways of working .
“ This is how we create value for the communities in which we operate ,” says Els . “ You grow local businesses , you develop the area they operate in , and you deliver more quality from those businesses that can supply others outside of AB InBev .”
In creating this value for Africa ’ s communities , Els also sees how localisation forms a breeding ground for new and innovative ways of working , thanks to its diverse pool of suppliers .
“ We had to be the catalyst to prove to the business what is available out there with an entirely interlinked supply chain ,” says Els . He also reiterates that procurement is not a supporting function , as he explains “ as soon as this started happening , little by little we could see the mindset shift .”
Embedding the procurement team with suppliers across the countries seems to have empowered AB InBev to take more steps towards more sustainable methods of working . By getting closer to its suppliers , the South African team learned very
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