Colombia: Bavaria to build new USD 413m brewery

Bavaria S.A., the local branch of AB InBev in Colombia, will build a new greenfield brewery in the northern municipality of Palmar de Varela, approximately 1,000 km north of the country’s capital Bogotá. The new brewery is expected to cost COP 1.9 (USD 413 million) and will create 350 direct and 7,000 indirect jobs when inaugurated in mid-2024.

According to yesterday’s announcement, the new brewery will be built with the highest environmental and social standards. The company expects the brewery to be an international benchmark, with zero net carbon emissions from the start of its operation. A few months ago, Bavaria announced that 100% of its products would be made based on solar energy and, precisely, this brewery will be one of the first to operate using renewable sources.

Bavaria currently has seven breweries (located in Barranquilla, Bucaramanga, Itagüí, Yumbo, Tibasosa and Tocancipá) and two malthouses (in Cartagena and Tibitó), apart from a label factory in Yumbo. The company has a market share of around 90% in the country, employs more than 4,000 people and generates around 80,000 indirect jobs. It has been operating in Colombia for 133 years and was recently recognized by the Merco Empresas ranking as one of the five companies most loved by Colombians.

In 2019, Central Cervecera Colombiana (CCC), Bavaria’s main competitor that is indirectly linked to Heineken, officially inaugurated a new 3 million hectoliter brewery in the city of Sesquilé, 60 km outside of Bogotá. The investment for the fifty-fifty joint venture between Postobón, market leader in non-alcoholic beverages in Colombia, and Compañía Cervecerías Unidas (CCU) from Chile, amounted to USD 474 million. (inside.beer, 4.6.2019)

Concerning the new investment, Sergio Rincón, president of Bavaria, pointed out: “We firmly believe in Colombia and in the great transformations that the private sector can generate for the benefit of the country. With this new plant, the company is betting in the long term on a significant expansion of the industry. The brewery will produce the national brands most loved by Colombians such as Águila, Poker and Club Colombia, among others”.

For his part, the President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, affirmed: “I thank Bavaria for the investment that will generate employment and contribute to the energy transition”.

The mayor of Palmar de Varela, Galdino Rene Orozco, also referred to the announcement: “I welcome the arrival of Bavaria to our municipality with great satisfaction. I am sure that it will generate a positive impact in the finances of the municipality and in the social sphere. Thanks to these resources we will be able to continue promoting the development of the municipality with the social investment that will impact the quality of life of the residents of Palma. In the social aspect there will be employment opportunities.”

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