In a "unique -- and bizarre -- convergence" of beer and football, Anheuser-Busch InBev "will launch a limited edition of its popular Brahma beer" made from barley grown on the football field where Brazil's iconic World Cup teams have trained for decades, according to Laurel Wentz of AD AGE. Brahma Selecao Especial "will be sold in Brazil starting in March, three months before the Brazil-hosted World Cup kicks off." Brahma agency Africa CEO Sergio Gordilho said that the training center, called Granja Comary, "is considered sacred ground" to Brazilian football fans, and "one of the two iconic symbols" of Brazilian football, along with Rio de Janeiro's Maracana stadium. After Africa Lab, the agency's innovation and product development unit, "came up with the idea, A-B InBev's agronomists and brewers spent two months preparing the soil, which was ideal for growing grass, to instead raise a crop of barley." As the brand ambassador, Brazil national team coach Luiz Felipe Scolari's signature "will appear on all the bottles." The name Brahma Selecao Especial "comes from the name in Portuguese, Selecao Brasileira." The campaign will include a 30-second commercial, print ads, extensive point of sale, and videos about the project. The agency "also developed the distinctive black bottle with lines in green and yellow, Brazil's team colors" (AD AGE, 2/24).
