Go BackWhen Global Partners with Local: Brewing Scale Without Diluting Soul, from Super Bock to Somersby
Looking at global expansion through beer is surprisingly clarifying. Breweries live at the intersection of factories and festivals, logistics and late-night toasts. They must be ruthlessly efficient backstage and deeply human front-stage. That tension sits at the heart of any global brand local strategy, and it is precisely what the Super Bock–Carlsberg story reveals: a playbook for companies that want to scale across borders without losing what makes people care.
The new equation of globalization
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When multinationals expand, they often buy local heroes. It’s fast: you inherit production, distribution, and regulatory know-how in a single move. But the real prize isn’t trucks or tanks. It’s trust: the cultural equity that a beloved brand accumulates across decades of communication, on trade experiences and much more. Local hero brands aren’t just distribution assets; they’re social assets.
That is an interesting point to look into, in the context of the partnership between Carlsberg, and Super Bock Group. Definitely it´s not about fitting Portugal, as a local market, into a global template. The real value lies on bringing the best of both worlds to the table, scaling business, caring for the authenticity of Super Bock, while adapting global portfolios to be locally relevant.
The answer became a two-way street. Global processes and networks flowed into Portugal and insight, intuition, and on-trade excellence flowed back to Copenhagen (Carlsberg HQ). Scale gains meaning. Meaning gains scale.
Standardize the back end, humanize the front end
Inside business processes , there’s an understandable urge to harmonize. Systems, governance, and sustainability are natural candidates for global standards. Super Bock embraced that back end standardized, while fiercely protecting what must remain local: tone, rituals, service, and the tiny details that make a night out feel unmistakably Super Bock: front end humanized.
Over time, Portugal became more than just a market, it became an example and, in some cases, a prototype lab for the group. The country’s uniquely on-trade-heavy beer culture forces brands to operate at street level, so new service models, route-to-market solutions, and on-trade technologies are often seen has best practices here, then shared with other Carlsberg markets.
When global goes local, learning must travel both ways. Carlsberg brings scale and process to Super Bock; Super Bock brings cultural intelligence and specific business capabilities back to the group. That’s the real power of a partnership done right.
When the global brand must learn to speak local
The same two-way logic was tested from the opposite angle with Somersby, Carlsberg’s cider brand. On paper, the odds were poor. Cider wasn’t a mainstream choice in Portugal; a previous attempt in the category had failed and early research said: don’t launch.
The team launched anyway, because they saw something the numbers couldn’t: a cultural gap for a drink that felt light, playful, and social. Rather than “selling cider”, a category with weak perception and a recent failure in Portugal, they reframed the entire space.
Somersby became the refreshing, easy-to-drink, lighthearted spark for social moments: sunsets, early-evening gatherings, effortless conversations. A drink with emotional codes that naturally resonated especially with women, underrepresented in traditional beer consumption.
This reframing shaped every choice. The brand team didn’t try to educate consumers in Portugal on what cider is. The label says it, but the communication never centered on the category. Instead, it focused on sensation and mood: sensorial pleasure, low-alcohol ease, and an optimistic, playful tone. Even the signature line, Fruto da Imaginação (“fruit of the imagination”), came from a Portuguese saying. It made immediate cultural sense locally and opened a new perspective on what the drink could spark: conversations, social fun, and a light, playful attitude.
Importantly, they built the brand on-trade first, where people could experience it in context -beach bars, cafés, nightspots- then let that influence cascade to retail.
The outcome says it all: nowadays people don’t ask for “a cider.” They ask for a Somersby. The brand didn’t enter a category; it became one.
The Power of Expanding the frame of reference
Somersby taught us something simple but easy to forget: brands that define themselves by categories stay small; brands that define themselves by human motivations become culturally inevitable.
Somersby didn’t compete in “cider.” It competed in light, playful social moments.
Super Bock doesn’t compete in “beer.” It competes in belonging and friendship.
Great brands across industries do the same: Harley-Davidson isn’t in the motorcycle business so much as the freedom business, as one dealer quipped: “The bike is free. What you’re paying for is the freedom.” Dove turned soap into self-acceptance. Nike turned sportwear into personal belief and ambition.
This isn’t poetry; it’s commercial design. When you anchor your brand in human outcomes rather than product taxonomy, you multiply your points of entry, expand consumption occasions, and create relevance that travels across borders, all while keeping functional excellence as the foundation, not the ceiling.
The culture that makes it possible
Recognizing Super Bock Group’s successes, the leading beer brand of Portugal is ultimately connected to the company culture and its people. Perseverance, Resilience and Entrepreneurial Spirit are written in company values. And those lead to nurture curious, bold, and disciplined minds. In simple terms people in the company name it “vestir a camisola” (dress the team´s jersey).
Curious enough to spot early cultural signals and translate them into product opportunities. Bold enough to test ideas that break the playbook, even when research says “don’t launch.” Disciplined enough to set clear boundaries that keep experimentation safe and focused.
“Fail fast” is one mindset. But there’s a more mature one we call smart courage: taking informed risks, protecting what truly matters, and sharing learnings openly. This is the kind of culture that can turn a local hero into a brand with global ambition.
What other industries can steal tomorrow
- Treat local heroes as social infrastructure. You didn’t just buy factories; you bought meaning. Protect it, then amplify it.
- Expand the frame of reference.
You may sell cider, but you might really be in the light social moments
You may sell motorcycles, but you may really be in the freedom business.
You may sell skincare, but you may really be in the self-confidence business.
Categories are limiting. Human motivations travel.
- Build in public, in context. Launch where the category is felt, not just sold. In beverages that’s on-trade; in tech it might be creator communities; in beauty, salons. Context creates understanding faster than campaigns do.
- Build a culture of smart courage.
Not reckless risk. Not corporate caution.
Smart courage: informed bets, clear guardrails, fast learning, no shame in course-correcting.
Super Bock and Somersby tell the same story from opposite ends: when a global group partners with a local icon, scale only works if it protects the brand’s soul; at the same time, when a global brand enters a local market, success depends on giving local teams the voice and freedom to make it culturally relevant.
Because products can cross borders, but only meaning can cross cultures.
And the brands that understand that don’t just grow, they endure.
About The Authors
Matteo Rinaldi is a Senior Marketing Strategy Consultant and Co-Founder of Human Centric Group, with global experience driving double-digit growth for brands like Danone, Carlsberg, Revlon, PepsiCo, and Visa. Having worked across multiple continents, he specializes in leveraging cultural insights for impactful brand strategies. A passionate educator, Matteo teaches marketing worldwide, shaping future industry leaders. Previously, he worked with L’Oréal and Coca-Cola HBC. He is also a best-selling author in marketing.
Bruno Albuquerque began his career at Super Bock Group in 2000 as a trainee in Sponsorships. He later became Brand Manager for the premium beer portfolio, leading a cross-functional team between Super Bock Group and Carlsberg Group during Euro 2004. After completing an MBA and launching a venture in the nautical sector, he returned to the company, taking on roles such as European Market Manager, head of the Wine Business Unit, and leading the launch of Somersby. Since 2016, he has served as Beer Marketing Director and, since 2020, has also overseen Sponsorships, managing major partnerships in music and football. He is also a Board Member of NewCoffee, where Super Bock Group holds a relevant participation.
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