Pierre Castel, founder of the French beverage conglomerate Castel Group, celebrated his 100th birthday on October 17, 2026, marking an extraordinary milestone for the entrepreneur who built one of the world's largest privately held wine and brewing businesses. The anniversary comes at a particularly turbulent moment, as family members and senior executives remain locked in a bitter international struggle over control of his business empire. To commemorate the centenary, Castel Vins released a collection of historical photographs and personal recollections documenting the founder's remarkable career, as reported by Vitisphere.
Born on October 17, 1926, in Berson near Bordeaux, Castel was the sixth of nine children in a family of Spanish agricultural immigrants. After leaving school at the age of twelve to work in the vineyards, he established Castel Frères with his siblings in 1949. What began as a modest Bordeaux wine trading operation developed into France's largest wine group and one of the world's leading beverage producers.
Castel's most significant expansion took place in Africa. Initially exporting inexpensive French wines to former French colonies, he progressively invested in local production and distribution. In 1966, he established his first African brewery, Société des Brasseries du Gabon (SOBRAGA), followed by a decisive expansion in 1990 through the acquisition of Brasseries et Glacières Internationales (BGI). These investments laid the foundation for one of Africa's largest brewing networks, producing well-known brands such as Castel Beer and 33 Export.
A further strategic milestone came in 2001, when Castel entered a cross-shareholding alliance with South African Breweries (SAB), the predecessor of SABMiller. Under the agreement, SAB acquired 20% of Castel's African beer and soft drinks operations, while Castel obtained 38% of SAB's African business outside South Africa. The partnership effectively divided significant parts of the African brewing market between the two companies. Following the acquisition of SABMiller in 2016, AB InBev inherited its interests in the alliance (inside.beer, 24.09.2016).
Today, Castel Group is among the world's largest wine producers and Africa's leading beverage companies, with brewing and soft drinks operations spanning more than 20 African countries. The group employs approximately 40,000 people and generated revenues of around EUR 6.5 billion in 2024. Its extensive portfolio of breweries and distribution networks makes it a dominant competitor in numerous African markets.
Despite decades of successful expansion and his determination to preserve the company's independence, Castel's later years have been overshadowed by tax controversies and increasingly complicated succession arrangements. Having relocated to Switzerland in 1981 following the election of the first French socialist and left-wing president François Mitterrand, the billionaire established an international holding structure involving entities in Luxembourg, Singapore and other jurisdictions. A dispute with Swiss tax authorities resulted in a settlement exceeding EUR 350 million in 2023, while the group's tax arrangements have also attracted scrutiny in France.
The most serious challenge now concerns the future management of the company. Castel appointed his former Swiss tax lawyer Grégory Clerc as chief executive in 2023, separating operational management from the economic interests of the founding family. However, this arrangement triggered growing opposition from his daughter Romy Castel and nephew Alain Castel, who have challenged Clerc's authority and attempted to regain influence over the group's strategic decisions (inside.beer, 08.01.2026).
The dispute escalated into legal proceedings in Singapore, where the holding company Investment Beverage Business Management (IBBM) plays a central role in the ownership structure. In a ruling reported on October 2, the High Court of Singapore maintained restrictions preventing Clerc and fellow director Pierre Baer from acting as IBBM directors and ordered steps toward appointing replacement board members. The ruling strengthened Romy Castel's position but did not conclusively resolve the broader struggle over control of the group (inside.beer, 03.08.2026).
As Pierre Castel enters his second century, the future of the business he spent nearly eight decades building remains uncertain. Although its extensive African brewing operations continue to represent a major source of revenue and profitability, the unresolved governance conflict raises important questions about long-term investment, strategic direction and ownership. For the international beer industry, the outcome could ultimately reshape the competitive landscape across numerous African markets.
