Bralirwa Brewery

History

The history of Bralirwa goes back to 1957. The management of the breweries of the Congo and Burundi, then under the management of Brasseries de Leopoldville (Brewery of Kinshasa), decided to build another brewery in the Eastern region. The city of Gisenyi, on the northern shores of Lake Kivu, was selected to house the new brewery. Gisenyi was selected for two reasons: It was easily accessible, by water, land and air; and Lake Kivu has a large quantity of proven reserves of methane gas, a source of alternative energy. The brewery became operational in 1959 and began producing Primus beer, the only brand produced until 1987. In 1987, a new premium local beer brand, Mützig was introduced. In 1989, Bralirwa began making Guinness under license.

In 1971, the Heineken Group, a Dutch brewing conglomerate, acquired a 70 percent majority shareholding in Bralirwa. With the acquisition, Bralirwa greatly improved its brewing process. In 1974, Bralirwa diversified into the production of soft drinks. A soft beverages plant was opened in Kigali, Rwanda's capital and largest city. The brewer partnered with the Coca-Cola Company, which allowed Bralirwa to widen the range of products manufactured.

As of 2018, Bralirwa was a regionally and internationally recognized brewer and soft beverage manufacturer with an expanding portfolio of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

Ownership

The shares of stock of the company are listed on the Rwanda Stock Exchange (RSE), where they trade under the symbol BLRW. The Heineken Group owns 75 percent of the shares of the company. The remaining 25 percent are owned by individual and institutional investors. In December 2009, the Government of Rwanda successfully divested from the company by selling 5 percent shareholding directly to the Heineken Group and by listing the remaining 25 percent on the RSE, through an initial public offering (IPO).{{cite web|access-date=18 May 2018 |first=David | url=https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/-/2560/821312/-/4g96u0z/-/ |title=Cheers! Bralirwa to launch first IPO in Rwanda |last=Kezio-Musoke |date=14 December 2009 |newspaper=The EastAfrican| location=Nairobi}} , the ownership of the company stock is as depicted in the table below:

Governance

As of December 2017, the members of the board of directors of Bralirwa included the following individuals:

• Boudewijn Haarsma: chairman
• Victor Madiela: managing director
• Chantal Mubarure: non-executive director
• George Gakuba: non-executive director
• John Bosco Sebabi: non-executive director
• Jordi Borrut Bel: non-executive director
• Hubert Eze: non-executive director

Operations

The Bralirwa brewery is located in Gisenyi, approximately 158 km, by road, west of Kigali, Rwanda's capital city.{{cite web|access-date=18 May 2018 |url=https://distancecalculator.globefeed.com/Rwanda_Distance_Result.asp?fromplace=Kigali%2C%20Rwanda&toplace=BRALIRWA%2C%20Rwanda&dt1=ChIJl-fYjiWk3BkRyAsdQaU2K_M&dt2=ChIJifFR5iob3RkR8lfBnpSN85k | title=Distance between Kigali, Rwanda and Bralirwa, Rwanda | publisher=Globefeed.com |author=Globefeed.com |date=18 May 2018}}

The administrative headquarters of the company is located in Kigali. Also located in Kigali is the Soft Beverages Plant, where Coca-Cola carbonated beverages are manufactured under license. In May 2011, press reports indicated that the company was in the process of establishing a new soft drinks manufacturing line at the company's plant in Kicukiro, a suburb of Kigali, and upgrading its brewing plant in Gisenyi.{{cite web |url=https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Corporate+News/Rwandan+brewer+records+42pc+growth+in+net+profit/-/539550/1406218/-/10oeoifz/-/index.html |title=Rwandan brewer records 42 percent growth in net profit |access-date=18 May 2018 |date=15 May 2015 | first=David |last=Herbling |newspaper=The EastAfrican | location=Nairobi}}

Brands

The brands manufactured by Bralirwa include:

Beers

• Primus
• Primus Citron
• Turbo King
• Huza
• Mützig Mützig, a 5.5% ABV lager; launched in 1987.{{cite web|title= Mützig Beer - Rwanda| url=http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/mutzig-rwanda/50028/ | date=22 December 2015 |accessdate=22 December 2015 | author=RBC | publisher=Ratebeer.com (RBC)}}
• Mützig Lite
• Heineken
• Amstel
• Legend

Soft drinks

• Coca-Cola
• Coca-Cola-Zero
• Fanta: Orange, Citron, Fiesta, Pineapple
• Sprite
• Krest Tonic
• Soda-Water
• Cheetah-Energy-drink

References

References

1. Bralirwa. (29 March 2018). "Bralirwa Annual Report for the Year Ended 31 December 2017". Bralirwa Brewery Limited.
2. Bralirwa Brewery. (18 May 2018). "Bralirwa History and Background Information". Bralirwa Brewery Limited.