Who owns LA BÉNINOISE BEER?

LA BÉNINOISE BEER is owned by

GROUPE CASTEL

La Béninoise was created in Cotonou, Benin in 1957. At the time, the French colony had no breweries, and so there was an opportunity seen by the Ivory Coast brewery Brasserie de la Côte d’Ivoire to establish a foothold in the market. They named their new brewery Société de Brasserie d’Outre-Mer (“Overseas Brewing Company”), or SOBRADO for short.

In 1960, the Republic of Dahomy was granted independence, and the company became locally owned under the name Société de Brasserie de Dahomey (also known as SOBRADA). However, In 1972 a coup d’état led by Mathieu Kérékou resulted in the nation adopting more Marxist ideology. SOBRADA, by that time a company of more than 1200 people, was in 1975 nationalized by the government, which then renamed it La Béninoise.

By the 1980s, financial difficulties and mismanagement caused the company to be privatized again, and in 1992 it was sold to the French company Groupe Castel. Castel is one of the largest wine and beer companies in the world, and is a major player in the African beer market, with outposts throughout the continent. The company then changed the name of SOBRADA to “SOBEBRA,” or La Société Béninoise de Brasserie. Groupe Castel now owns 90% of the venture, with the state retaining a scant few percentage, and the remainder behind held by a few other local private investment companies.

La Béninoise Beer is an adjunct lager similar to many of Groupe Castel’s other local beers. The beer is 4.4% ABV and is sold in 33 cl and 66 cl bottles, as well as on draft. The brand has come to become a symbol of the Beninoise people, and is one of the most popular beers in the small coastal nation.

Popular Beers by this Brand

• La Béninoise

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