AB InBev Europe

On the way to the airport, pushing my suitcase along the road my two colleagues and I took every day to the brewery, I pass groups of friends and families drinking beers, laughing and chatting away under the hot Canarian sun. Life here is simple and sweet and it saddens me to think our four weeks have come to an end. We learnt an incredible amount, explored every little nook and cranny of the breweries and talked to the most charming, open and helpful employees who we will never forget.

Our first week was spent at the brewery Dorada in Tenerife. The brewery is situated very close to the centre of Santa Cruz perched on a hill with a view of the glistening Atlantic ocean. Dorada, a much loved Tenerifian beer, is brewed alongside their most recent addition; Stella Artois. We worked on an innovation project, involving the possible installation of a new beer product which provided us with a deeper understanding of the processes and methods being used.

The adventure continues; we jet off to Gran Canaria; home to La Tropical beer and our home for the next three weeks. Here, we worked on three projects tackling issues such as optimizing the flow in the warehouse, as well as standardizing and assembling all of the departments’ KPI dashboards so they comply with EU standards. Encapsulating many different areas within supply as well as departments, these projects stretched us both mentally and physically. From department meetings to brewery tours to team idea creation sessions to being immersed in the world of Excel; not a minute was dull. The brewery is a constantly changing environment with people rushing everywhere, surprise incidents needing to be fixed, machines not meeting expectations… never does one wake up with a clear idea of how the day will roll out. Finally, it’s definitely an environment that keeps you fit; with some walking a minimum of 6km per day.

As well as being a dynamic and fast-paced world, both Dorada and Tropical breweries felt like a home. We immediately felt welcomed and part of the family. Meals were shared at the kitchen table; chatting about their weekends and sharing recipes they recently discovered. Everyone took the time to explain things to us without expressing a real sense of urgency. The brewery manager even kindly drove us home a few times whilst providing us with insights that expanded beyond our project scope. On the last day at Dorada, we were invited to the Family Day where all the families of the employees visited the brewery and shared their home-baked cakes. It became clear that family and people are key to the values of the brewery, which, as young trainees, will stay with us throughout our career.

Not only did we learn every little detail about how to brew, package and distribute these beers, but we also learnt a lot about ourselves and how to successfully transform three near-strangers into a harmonious team. Coming from France, Spain, Denmark, Ireland and the UK; our team was diverse to say the least. Connected by our international mindset and love for beer, we quickly forged a strong relationship and one that I hope will last for years to come. Creating long-lasting relationships lies at the heart of ABInBev and its culture.

We’re here for the beer, for the good moments and for bringing people together for a better world. If that doesn’t sound like a great company culture then I’m not sure what does!