Brasseries Kronenbourg, the French subsidiary of Carlsberg from Denmark, has made a strategic investment in Brasserie du Pays Flamand, a renowned craft brewery in France. This move marks a departure from Brasseries Kronenbourg’s usual strategy of relying solely on distribution partnerships to penetrate the craft beer market.
With this investment, Carlsberg aims to enhance the national distribution of the Anosteké brand. The partnership includes exclusive distribution agreements for supermarkets and on-trade establishments across France. Additionally, a significant EUR 25 million investment will be allocated to expand the production capacity at Brasserie du Pays Flamand’s Merville site, aiming to triple its output to 200,000 hectoliters over the next five years. This expansion is also expected to generate several dozen jobs.
Olivier Duthoit, co-founder of Brasserie du Pays Flamand, commented on the new venture: "Since founding the brewery, our goal has always been to innovate and produce excellent beers. To meet the growing demands of our customers nationwide, we now need to significantly invest in our production facilities. This partnership with Carlsberg will help us achieve that."
The partnership will also focus on enhancing sustainability efforts. Both Brasserie du Pays Flamand and Carlsberg are committed to decarbonization, improving packaging, energy efficiency, sourcing practices, logistics, water consumption, and biodiversity conservation.
Mathieu Lesenne, co-founder of Brasserie du Pays Flamand, emphasized the environmental benefits: "This strategic partnership will allow us to intensify our environmental initiatives. We will also strengthen our local economic impact by planning to recruit several dozen new employees."
Historically, Brasseries Kronenbourg has focused on distributing craft beer brands such as Pietra, Brasserie du Pays Basque, and Brooklyn Brewery, rather than taking equity stakes. Gregory Bonutto, Vice President of Brasseries Kronenbourg, highlighted the importance of this new approach: "Our partnership with Brasserie du Pays Flamand enhances the richness of our product offerings, especially in the premium Northern beer segment. With our extensive distribution network, we are poised to accelerate the growth of the Anosteké brand."
