Following a decision by the Creditors' Committee, Park & Bellheimer has acquired the brand rights of the insolvent Eichbaum brewery. Starting October 1, 2026, the newly formed Eichbaum-Vertrieb, based in Mannheim, will manage the brand's business operations. Brewing at Eichbaum's historic Mannheim site is scheduled to end on September 30, after previous rescue attempts failed (inside.beer, 13.07.2026).
Initially, the most important Eichbaum beers will be produced at Park & Bellheimer's facilities. Roald Pauli, CEO and majority owner of Park & Bellheimer, has also raised the possibility of establishing a new, smaller brewery in Mannheim, potentially bringing production back to the brand's hometown. Whether this project can be realized remains uncertain, particularly with regard to a suitable site. In April 2026, the City of Mannheim secured a right of first refusal for the existing brewery property as part of plans that could allow the area to be used for the Heidelberg-Mannheim hospital network and related health-economy and medical-technology activities.
Pauli worked directly for Eichbaum in Mannheim for nearly three decades, beginning in the early 1980s. Before leaving the company, he served on Eichbaum's executive board with responsibility for finance. Eichbaum and the Palatinate-based Park & Bellheimer had previously both belonged to Actris AG, a beverage and real-estate group controlled by Dietmar Hopp, co-founder of SAP. During this period, Pauli held management responsibilities involving both brewing operations.
The two breweries subsequently took separate paths. Eichbaum was spun off from Actris through a management buyout around the turn of 2009/2010 led by Jochen Keilbach, while Pauli became the principal shareholder of Park & Bellheimer in mid-2010.
Pauli's offer prevailed over competing interest from regional brewer Welde. According to inside Getränke, one factor in the decision was Park & Bellheimer's willingness to assume obligations connected with Eichbaum's packaging and returnable-deposit system.
Furthermore, Pauli utilized a long-standing EUR 10 million claim originating from a previous legal dispute involving the wheat beer brand Valentins. Special administrator Olaf Spiekermann reportedly favored clearing this financial burden from the insolvency proceedings.
The takeover comes at a difficult stage for the Eichbaum brand. According to inside Getränke, annual volumes have fallen from well above 100,000 hl to an estimated 70,000 hl, while a growing number of regional gastronomy customers have moved to competing suppliers. The publication also reported that retailers had recently threatened to stop accepting Eichbaum empties.
Such a development would pose a serious operational problem. Germany's returnable packaging system relies on functioning collection channels through retailers, beverage wholesalers, gastronomy and other distribution partners. If major retail partners stopped accepting Eichbaum bottles and crates, the circulation of the brand's returnable packaging could be severely disrupted.
