Heineken has agreed to transfer its Bukavu brewery in Eastern Congo to Synergy Ventures Holdings Ltd for EUR 1, marking a humanitarian-driven exit from an area where the company has been unable to operate safely since early 2025. The move follows months of escalating conflict, widespread looting, and the company’s complete loss of operational control after armed groups seized its facilities in Bukavu, Goma and surrounding areas. (inside.beer, 23.6.2025)
The situation started to deteriorate earlier this year, when Bralima, Heineken’s local subsidiary, suspended operations as fighting approached Goma and Bukavu. Depots and the Bukavu brewery were heavily looted by civilians, militia groups and military forces, causing extensive damage to key infrastructure such as the control room (inside.beer, 4.3.2025). Despite the operational shutdown, the company continued paying all employees in full and evacuated staff once security conditions collapsed.
The planned transfer to Synergy Ventures, a Mauritian investor group with regional experience, is expected to be completed by year-end. The buyer will assume full operational responsibility, including employee protection, community support and tax obligations to the DRC government. The Bukavu brewery previously provided around 1,000 direct and indirect jobs, making its continuation critical for local economic stability.
The handover aims to prevent misuse of the facility amidst ongoing rebel advances, particularly by M23 forces that captured both Goma and Bukavu earlier in the year. Heineken retains a buyback option, exercisable three years after the sale, if conditions enable a safe and economically viable return.
Outside the conflict-affected east, Bralima continues its production across other parts of Congo, including brewing Primus and other regional brands. However, operations across Africa remain pressured by political unrest in several markets. In 2024, the company reported EUR 4.13 billion in revenue (USD 4.3 billion) from Africa and the Middle East, a year-on-year decline of 2.3%, with beer volumes falling from 34.8 million hl to 29.5 million hl.
Congo has a certain personal value to Dolf van den Brink, the Chief Executive Officer of Heineken N.V., as his years in the country marked one of the most formative phases of his early career. Colleagues often note that his time at Bralima gave him a deep understanding of the challenges of operating in politically fragile regions and the responsibility a global brewer carries toward local employees and communities. His close familiarity with local dynamics, gained during his early managerial postings, continues to shape how he relates to the country and its people on a personal level, even long after leaving his role in Congo.
