“Che Beer” trying to tap U.S. market

A friend got this letter from the fine folks who brew Che Beer in Italy.

To; C&B International Trading Group Inc.
Attention; Sales Director.

Dear Sir,
I am the Global Sales Executive of “Che Guevara Beer” Brewed and Bottled in Italy and a winner of numerous International Awards,its not a cheap beer but sold in better quality stores and restaurant’s in Italy. We have never contacted any company in the U.S.A. until now,we have many design labels for “Che” which has great shelf appeal for Latinos and Young Clubbers for this Iconic figure. (emphasis by crackpot poster)

Transactions and Terms:L/C
Quotes: F.O.B. Price Ex Italy

If this is of interest to your Company,kindly contact me on E.Mail as shown,or Tel; 44(O)1280 709480.

Kind Regards,
Bernie Segal

Here’s Segal’s e-mail just in case some of us might be motivated to “educate” him.

gbsegal@googlemail.com

Unreal

Just in!: Here’s the response (and as Dave Barry used to write: I am not making this up) to the “go-getting” Mr Segal from his prospective U.S. distributor:

Good morning.

NO, we are DEFINITELY not interested in marketing any beer with the name of a MURDERER COMMUNIST!!!

Sir, with all due respect, I cannot comprehend how anyone in their right mind could come up with a label with this immoral, cold-blooded murderer’s name. Even his “friend and partner in ideals” Fidel Castro betrayed him and fortunately he had a little of his own “flavor” at the end…well deserved!!!

You probably need to learn a little about this guy’s history before trying to market this product in any areas where the citizens are intelligent and have some cultural information. THIS IS LIKE DOING A LABEL WITH ADOLF HITLER BEER!

I will gladly provide some info on this character that you call “icon” – Icon of whom?

Please get the information straight before insulting with this type of label.

Thank you.

14 thoughts on ““Che Beer” trying to tap U.S. market”

  1. This is what I wrote him:

    To:
    gbsegal@googlemail.com

    Dear Mr. Segal,
    Do you know who Che Guevera was? I ask because it appears that you do not. If you did, you could not be proud to name your beer after him.
    You could have chosen any name in the world. Why choose the name of a communist for a capitalist venture? Or were you planning to have all profits confiscated and then to have your manufacturing plant overtaken? Well, at least there won’t be a need for the name to be changed.

    I would be interested to know what prompted you to choose this name for your product.

  2. It should come as no surprise that this Mr.Segal person thinks his proposal would be well received by any beer importer in the U.S. He knows he has a product with guaranteed success, given its nefarious label. Will he respond to any letters he may receive in attempts to enlighten him? Who knows, but probably not. As for motivation…there’s the sinister beauty of how these things operate, and as we all know the operative word is hypocrisy. Like most of Hollywood, many leftist capitalists in the world ( sounds like an oxymoron doesn’t it?, but it’s not)can afford to demand an equal playing field of poverty for everyone else in the world, all except themselves. Thus, who cares if an obscure little group of >”ex-batistianos”< have some pesky negative comments, this is a label that will make lots of $$$$,…Oh, and CHE was such a 'cool' character also, with that neat little star on his beret. An illusive leader of the people, comm'on, who needs the details?
    That's it; simple minded, evil to the core and the tragic reality.
    That being said however, it's great to have Segal's e-mail handy, and like our precious Honey, no one should be discouraged from writing any creative letters that come to mind.

  3. I remember being in Portofino, Italy a few years back and we were sitting at a sidewalk cafe having some delicious prosciutto and melon for lunch. Next to the small cafe was a gift shop and I noticed in the window of that shop some wine bottles on display. The wines were called “Hitler” and “Stalin,” among other despots (no, I didn’t see a Fidel bottle), and each one had a nice portrait of the namesake. I asked our waiter what that was all about and he said that the wine was horrible, but the people buy it for the labels. He then shrugged his shoulders and walked away.

  4. My email.

    Che beer,huh?
    What will you next promote, Pol Pot Pizza. Stalin Sundaes. Gee, how about Hitler Hoagies and Idi-Amin Ice Cream
    You might find Che beer cute, but millions of us find it extremely offensive.
    May I suggest you try another endeavor.

  5. I wrote this years ago:

    When my sister and I were in Rome last year after our week at Mami Camilla’s cooking school in Sorrento, I refused to patronize any store selling Che Guevara memorabilia. I would walk into the stores around the Vatican and find crucifixes, Pope stuff, and – Che?

    Immediately, I would turn around and walk out.

    In one store, I did ask about the incongruity.

    “You are selling symbols of Catholicism and then t-shirts with the image of one of the most brutal murderers of the 20th century,” I said. “Isn’t that a bit strange? Not to mention that he was an avowed communist, yet here he is being used as a brand.”

    The clerk shrugged. “It sells.”

    Well, yes. So do snuff films, but that doesn’t mean we do it.

  6. “it sells”

    There in lies the issue Classfactotum, do we want capitalism without a conscience or capitalism with a moral compass?

    Most here would agree with the latter.

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