Ho Chi Minh City-based brewery Belgo has launched a unique ‘beer currency’ vending machine to introduce their range to new drinkers.

Rather than taking cash, the vending machine allows people to use local mass market beer as a ‘currency’ to buy Belgo’s range of Belgian-inspired craft beers.

To create awareness beyond their core audience, the brewery first launched the vending machine on the busy Nguyen Hue boulevard in downtown Saigon (HCMC). 

“In a market where mass-market beers are widely available, we needed to honour our personality and be disruptive to get people to try our beer,” shares Gauthier Lagasse, CEO and Co-founder of Belgo. 

“We are a small brand, but our ambitions are large”, says Magdalena Bialasiewicz, Marketing Director at Belgo. “We believe this beer-currency platform is an excellent concept to show that we don’t need a big budget to stand out and show people Belgo’s quality.”

“The promotion is an important reminder for local F&B businesses all around the world. It’s an inspiration for how, with a small budget, a local craft beer can compete for awareness with much larger multinationals. All you need is creativity and a whole lot of bravery.

If you want to test out the machine for yourself, it is currently based at Belgo’s Le Ngo Cat location in District 3, Saigon (HCMC).

Asia Brewers Network previously reported on Belgo’s growing footprint in Vietnam, with the opening of their third taproom in the city’s Phu Nhuan district and the launch of the Belgian brewery’s Grand Cru selection early last year.