Heineken has inaugurated a new brewery on the outskirts of Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, that has the potential to transform the Dutch firm’s presence in the country.
The 1.5m hectolitre-capacity facility in the suburb of Kilinto is providing 280 jobs for the local economy and is already producing the recently-launched Bedele and Harar brands of beer for the Ethiopian market.
It increases the amount that Heineken has invested in Ethiopia to €310m over the last four years, when it acquired the two beer brands from the country’s government and signaled its intention to enhance its reputation in the region. The company has confirmed that it intends to brew Heineken-labelled beer at the new plant in the future, claiming it is “well placed to further develop its portfolio of high quality beers that will meet growing demand in the country”.
Jean-François van Boxmeer, Heineken’s CEO, said: “Our inauguration marks the latest chapter in our Africa story which began over 100 years ago. Today, we are a proud partner for growth in the region, investing ahead of the curve, and with a long-term ambition to create sustainable businesses. This is certainly the case in Ethiopia, which is progressively unlocking its natural potential for its people, and bringing prosperity to both the cities and agricultural regions. Through our local barley sourcing project, we can be certain that the positive effects of our investment here spread well beyond the brewery gates. The Create project that we announced in 2013, where the partners share the goals of improving the income of smallholder barley farmers and improving access to markets, will help us to increase our local sourcing of malt barley.”
© FoodBev Media Ltd 2024