Unibra is a Belgium based company operating in the African drinks market.
It was created by Michel Relecom in 1960 through the merger of four breweries in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and was established under Belgian law in 1961. In 1987, it gained control of the Sobragui brewery (Société des brasseries de Guinée) in Conakry, Guinea, now its main operation especially after it sold its Congo breweries in 1996. [1]
It was one of the founders of the Skol beer brand in 1964, and it still holds the marketing rights for Africa. It operates in six countries: Skol is the most popular beer brand in Guinea. [2]
The Unibra group also undertakes private equity and real estate investment. [3] [4]
In 2012 Unibra and the Mauritius-based Phoenix Beverages entered in cooperation with Nouvelle Brasserie de Madagascar SA Madagascar's beer market.
Stella Artois is a pilsner beer, first brewed in 1926 by Brouwerij Artois in Leuven, Belgium. In its original form, the beer is 5.2 per cent ABV, the country's standard for pilsners. The beer is also sold in other countries including the UK, Ireland, Canada and Australia, where it has a reduced ABV. Stella Artois is owned by Interbrew International B.V. which is a subsidiary of the world's largest brewer, Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV.
Heineken N.V. is a Dutch multinational brewing company, founded in 1864 by Gerard Adriaan Heineken in Amsterdam. As of 2019, Heineken owns over 165 breweries in more than 70 countries. It produces 348 international, regional, local and speciality beers and ciders and employs approximately 85,000 people.
SABMiller plc was a South African multinational brewing and beverage company headquartered in Woking, England on the outskirts of London until 10 October 2016 when it was acquired by AB InBev for US$107-billion. It was the world's second-largest brewer measured by revenues and was also a major bottler of Coca-Cola. Its brands included Foster's, Miller, and Pilsner Urquell. It operated in 80 countries worldwide and in 2009 sold around 21 billion litres of beverages. Since 10 October 2016, SABMiller is a business division of AB InBev, a Belgian multinational corporation with headquarters in Leuven.
Brasserie Nationale is the largest brewery in Luxembourg, based in Bascharage. They also export to Belgium, France, China, and since 2014 to the United States. They brew beer under the brand name Bofferding and since taking over in 2004 Battin.
Grimbergen is the brand name of a variety of Belgian abbey beers. Originally made by Norbertine monks in the Belgian town of Grimbergen, it is now brewed by different breweries in Belgium, France, Poland and Italy.
Brasseries, Limonaderies et Malteries SARL (Bralima), established in 1923 as the Brasserie de Léopoldville, is a brewing company in the Democratic Republic of the Congo which operates six breweries. It has been owned by Heineken International since 1986. It is most notable for its flagship Primus beer but also produces various other alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
Brazil is the world's third largest beer market with total volume at 139 million hectoliters, and per capita consumption 61 liters in 2016.
Beer in Africa, especially lager, is produced commercially in most African countries, and indigenous people also make varieties of beer. Beer is served in various locales, from neighbourhood shebeens to upscale bars. Many countries have standardized beer bottle sizes, which are cleaned and re-used, so when buying beer at a store, people often must pay a deposit on the bottle and the price of the beer. An alternative to glass-bottle beers is local beer sold in tetra-pak style paper cartons.
Several brands of beer are produced and served in Romania, including beer from local breweries and craft beers. The history of this beverage includes the territory of the Romanian lands, since at least the times of the Romanian Old Kingdom to contemporary times.
Les Sociétés Anonymes des Brasseries du Cameroun is a brewing company in Cameroon. Their offices and main factory are in Douala, with other breweries in Bafoussam, Douala, Garoua, and Yaoundé. Les Brasseries et Glacieres Internationales (BGI) owns a 75% share in the company, and Heineken owns 8.8%.
Three Horses Beer is a pale lager that has been brewed by Star Breweries of Madagascar since 1958. It is the highest-selling beer in Madagascar and has been described as emblematic of the country. THB is sold nationwide and, since 2005, has been exported to such markets as France, Reunion Island, Comoros, and Mayotte. The Malagasy beer is produced at two breweries in Madagascar, the first centrally located in Antsirabe and the other in the northern city of Antsiranana. THB Pilsener, the most common variant of THB, has a light taste and is produced from mostly local barley, corn, and hops. Star Breweries also produces THB Fresh, THB Special, and THB Lite. Recent investments in Star Brewery infrastructure have allowed a 20% increase in production since 2011.
Heineken N.V. is a Dutch brewer which owns a worldwide portfolio of over 170 beer brands, mainly pale lager, though some other beer styles are produced. The two largest brands are Heineken and Tecate; though the portfolio includes Amstel, Fosters, Sagres, Cruzcampo, Skopsko, Affligem, Żywiec, Starobrno, Zagorka, Zlatý Bažant, Laško and Birra Moretti.
SABMiller was one of the top five global brewing companies, and had a range of over 150 beers, including international beers such as Pilsner Urquell, and Miller Genuine Draft, and local ones such as Gambrinus and Castle Milk Stout.
The beers of the Caribbean are unique to each island in the region, although many are variants of the same style. Each island generally brews its own unique pale lager, the occasional stout, and often a non-alcoholic malta beverage. Contract-brewing of international beers is also common, with Heineken Pilsener and Guinness Foreign Extra Stout being the most popular. The beers vary between the islands to suit the taste and the brewing method used.
Skol is a lager that was brewed originally by Ind Coope, at Alloa, Scotland, as Graham's Golden Lager. In 1958, the name was changed to Graham's Skol to give a Scandinavian impression. The name was later revised to just Skol.
Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, commonly known as AB InBev, is a Belgian-Brazilian multinational drink and brewing company based in Leuven, Belgium and is the largest brewer in the world. In 2023, the company was ranked 72nd in the Forbes Global 2000. Additionally, AB InBev has a global functional management office in New York City, and regional headquarters in São Paulo, London, St. Louis, Mexico City, Bremen, Johannesburg, and others. It has approximately 630 beer brands in 150 countries.
InBev was a brewing company that resulted from the merger between Belgium-based company Interbrew and Brazilian brewer AmBev which took place in 2004. It existed independently until the acquisition of Anheuser-Busch in 2008, which formed Anheuser-Busch InBev. InBev had operations in over 30 countries and sales in over 130 countries. In 2006, it had a market capitalization of €30.6 billion and net profit of €3.2 billion on sales of €13.3 billion.
Mützig is a beer brand owned by Heineken and its subsidiaries, and was originally brewed in 1810 by Brasserie Mutzig of Alsace, France. It is now a 5.5% ABV lager available in 65cl and 33cl bottles. It has a full-bodied taste and distinctive packaging, and is the most successful premium, locally brewed beer in Central Africa. Mützig is considered a flagship African brand.
Brarudi S.A., also known by its French name Brasseries et Limonaderies du Burundi, is the largest brewer and soft beverage company in the Republic of Burundi.
Bracongo is a brewery in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) with its headquarters at Kinshasa. Bracongo belongs to the Société des Brasseries et Glacières Internationales (BGI) that maintains breweries in many African countries. BGI belongs to the Groupe Castel, a French company.