Big multinational beer, wine and soft drinks firms are competing for the 57% majority stake in Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA).
First reported by Reuters and Bloomberg in April, Heineken, Coca-Cola Hellenic and Castel Group are among companies that have bid for a majority stake in CCBA, according to people familiar with the matter.
Heineken N.V on Monday unveiled the first beer brewed in its new Brassivoire brewery in Ivory Coast even though the plant won’t open until 2017.
The Dutch brewer partnered with French trading firm CFAO to build a new brewery in Abidjan at a cost of 100 billion CFA francs ($172m). The deal was first announced last year with Heineken holding 51% stake in the joint-venture to CFAOs 49%.
Danish brewer, Carlsberg A/S, the fourth largest beer company in the world, behind Heineken, said on Wednesday it had sold its 59% stake in Carlsberg Malawi Brewery Limited (CMBL) to french beverage company, Castel Group.
The terms of the sale were not disclosed except that Carlsberg has signed a license agreement with Castel allowing it to continue to produce Carlsberg Lager in Malawi. Carlsberg Malawi Brewery Limited (CMBL) is one of the oldest breweries in Malawi and opened in 1968. It is also the first Carlsberg brewery outside Denmark.
These are interesting times in the beverage industry. It was the Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, who said that “change is the only constant in life.” The global beverage industry is moving fast to adapt to changing consumer taste and preferences.
For anyone who has been paying attention to global events in the beverage industry, it is hard to miss the changes taking place in the soft drinks and beer industry. However, this article will focus on the changes taking place in the soft drinks industry as it relates to Nigeria and Africa, with particular emphasis on Coca-Cola.
The African beer market is forecasted to grow faster than any other region in the next five years. The growth would be driven largely by rising population, urbanization and increased GDPs.
This was the assessment of the Canadean, a global market research company. The report states that African consumers largely depend on the products of four multinational companies that dominate the African brewery industry – notably SABMiller, Heineken, Castel Group and Diageo. In addition, interests in premium drinks are expected to rise.
