Suriname: Heineken to more than double production capacity

After approval of Suriname’s Parliament, Heineken is now allowed to more than double the production capacity of Surinaamse Brouwerij NV from 200,000 hl to 500,000 hl. Surinaamse is the primary beer producer in Suriname, a small country on the northeastern coast of South America and has been a subsidiary of Heineken since 1968.

Last week, the Parliament of Suriname approved an amendment to the law which so far restricted production of the local brewery to 200,000 hl. Under the new regulation, the brewery is allowed to increase its capacity by 2.5 times which could generate up to EUR 7 million (USD 8m) in indirect tax revenue for the Government of Suriname.

In the past, due to capacity restrictions, Heineken could only produce Parbo beer, the local brand, in Surinam. However, after some investments, the brewery will also be able to produce the Heineken brand and other Heineken beers locally, says Reinoud Ottervanger, Managing Director of Surinaamse Brouwerij. Heineken beer destined for the Surinamese market has until now been imported. With the Heineken beer production in a year and a half, the market share of Heineken beer on the local market will no longer have to be supplied from imports.

By that time deposits will also be introduced for the green Heineken bottles. This is partly due to environmental considerations. With the brown Parbo bottles, the deposit system is currently running very well.

Some time ago, the company started export of Parbo beer to the Netherlands, Curaçao and the neighboring countries of French Guiana and Guyana. Ottervanger sees the opportunity to increase these exports even more possibly also to the United States and supply the Caricom market consisting of 15 states throughout the Caribbean with Heineken beer produced in Suriname.

"There is no reason for concern, that Parbo beer will disappear from the Surinamese market. On the contrary, Parbo beer remains our pride and joy. It is a strong and our most important brand," Ottervanger addressed concerns expressed by some Assembly Members during the debates in Parliament.

Ottervanger also said, that “the Suriname Brewery, Parbo beer is an inseparable part of our corporate culture," and that the success of the Suriname Brewery is largely due to Parbo beer as a product, which is so appreciated by the Surinamese society.

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