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Diageo has announced a further €30 million investment into the production of Guinness 0.0 at its site in St. James’s Gate, Dublin, Ireland.

The funding will boost the Guinness 0.0 production capacity at St. James’s Gate to 176 million pints per year for the domestic and international markets, almost doubling capacity. The drinks giant says that volume sales of Guinness 0.0 increased by almost 50% between the end of February 2023 and the end of February 2024.

The investment comes as demand for non-alcoholic options continues to grow – in Ireland, non-alcoholic beer sales grew by 18% last year – and is part of Diageo’s commitment to the growth of the non-alcoholic category. In line with this growing consumer preference, Diageo North America acquired non-alcoholic spirits brand Ritual Zero Proof last month, as part of its strategy to capitalise on the growing demand for alcohol alternatives.

Guinness 0.0 is currently available on draught in 1,700 pubs across Ireland, with Diageo expecting it to be in 2,000 outlets by 25 December. The investment supports Guinness 0.0’s longer, more complex production process, which takes an extra two days of brewing compared to alcoholic Guinness.

Aidan Crowe, beer operations director at Diageo, said: “Today’s investment is further evidence of our commitment to Guinness 0.0 and underpins the bright future we see for the non-alc category. It will allow us to double our capacity for Guinness 0.0 and meet the ever-growing demand from consumers as they move towards moderation and look for more choice when it comes to great tasting, premium non-alcohol products.”

Crowe continued: “Guinness has a long history of innovation and delivering products of the highest quality, and we continue to do that through Guinness 0.0 – producing the same great taste, quality and premium experience that people have come to expect from a brand like Guinness, just without the alcohol. St. James’s Gate is the global hub of Guinness 0.0 production for markets around the world, and this investment goes a long way in supporting that work and continues the legacy of true innovation here in Dublin.”

The €30 million brings Diageo’s total investment into the production of the non-alcoholic stout to over €60 million, since its launch three years ago. In July last year, the beer giant invested €25 million to construct a new facility at St. James’s Gate for its non-alcoholic stout.

Earlier this year, Diageo unveiled plans to invest more than €100 million to decarbonise its St James’s Gate site, with the aim to phase out the use of fossil fuels in its direct brewing operations entirely, reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions generated by the site by more than 90%.

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