Boissons du Cameroun, the country's dominant brewing company and a subsidiary of the Castel Group, is entering a new phase of consolidation following shareholder approval of its merger with Guinness Cameroon. At an Extraordinary General Meeting held in Douala on October 2, 2026, shareholders officially endorsed the absorption of the former Diageo subsidiary, clearing the way for both companies to operate under a single legal structure from January 1, 2027. The merger is expected to further strengthen the group's operational efficiency, production capabilities, and already overwhelming dominance of Cameroon's beer market.
The restructuring completes another important stage in the integration process initiated when Castel agreed to acquire Guinness Cameroon from Diageo in July 2022 for approximately USD 468 million (inside.beer, 14.07.2022). Following regulatory approvals in 2023, the French beverage group progressively integrated the acquired company's production and distribution activities. According to Business in Cameroon, Boissons du Cameroun now controls approximately 80% of the national beer market, making it by far the country's largest brewer. The company generated revenue of XAF 729 billion (approximately USD 1.25 billion at October 2026 exchange rates) in 2023, illustrating the scale of its operations.
The merger will also have significant implications for the ownership structure of Boissons du Cameroun. According to calculations published by Investir au Cameroun, the ownership stake held by BGI (Brasseries et Glacières Internationales), Castel's holding company, could increase from 84.12% to approximately 87.93%. Correspondingly, the combined shareholding of minority investors would decline from 15.88% to 12.07%, without those shareholders selling any shares. These figures remain estimates based on the merger terms and the ownership structure reported at the end of 2025, rather than officially confirmed post-merger percentages.
The consolidation is accompanied by investments in industrial modernization and production capacity. Boissons du Cameroun is upgrading equipment and expanding bottling capabilities at its facilities in Douala, Yaoundé, Bafoussam and Garoua. By combining the expertise, personnel, production facilities and distribution networks of the two companies, management aims to increase operational efficiency, improve product availability and support further portfolio diversification. The integration is also expected to strengthen the brewer's competitive position in a market where its size already gives it considerable advantages in procurement, manufacturing and distribution.
Against this backdrop of corporate consolidation, Boissons du Cameroun is also pursuing organic growth through new product introductions. On October 9, 2026, the company officially unveiled its latest beer brand, Mboa, at an event in Douala. The blonde lager, featuring subtle ginger notes, contains 5% alcohol by volume and is sold in 50-centiliter returnable glass bottles at a recommended retail price of XAF 500 (approximately USD 0.85). Distribution initially focuses on the Littoral region before extending to the West, Center and North regions, as the brewer seeks to strengthen its affordable beer portfolio.
The name Mboa means "at home" or "my home" in the Duala language and reflects the company's intention to associate the product with Cameroonian cultural identity and national pride. The recipe combines natural ginger essences, maize, malt, hops, water and sugar, offering consumers a locally inspired alternative to established beer brands. Positioned as an accessible product with premium characteristics, Mboa responds to consumer demand for authentic, competitively priced beverages. The launch forms part of the company's broader product innovation strategy, complementing the expansion of its industrial and commercial operations.
he new beer also serves as a showcase for the brewer's ambitious local sourcing strategy, which aims to increase the share of domestic content in its operations to 60%. At the product presentation, Boissons du Cameroun reported purchases of approximately 3,000 tonnes of processed maize grits from local supplier MAISCAM, supported by a network of 1,512 agricultural producers. The company also purchased 12,000 tonnes of sorghum from Cameroonian farmers, compared with 8,000 tonnes before the integration of Guinness Cameroon's operations. However, the brewer has not disclosed what proportion of these domestically sourced ingredients is used specifically in Mboa.
Local integration also extends to packaging and industrial production. The group's glass manufacturing subsidiary SOCAVER reports annual production of approximately 45,000 tonnes of glass, supporting domestic bottle manufacturing and reducing dependence on imports. Bottle caps and labels for Mboa are also sourced locally, including from printing company MultiPrint. These initiatives are intended to strengthen domestic supply chains, support Cameroonian suppliers, and retain a greater share of the brewing industry's economic value within the country.
Taken together, the Guinness merger and the introduction of Mboa illustrate the group's two-pronged growth strategy: consolidating its dominant position through corporate integration while expanding its consumer offering with locally rooted and competitively priced products. With an estimated 80% share of Cameroon's beer market, the combined company will command considerable scale, raising questions about how much competitive room remains for smaller and independent brewers in the country's beverage industry.
