Who owns PRIMUS BEER?

PRIMUS BEER is owned by

HEINEKEN N.V.

Primus Beer was first brewed in 1926 by Brasserie de Léopoldville in Léopoldville (now Kinshasa), Democratic Republic of the Congo. The brewery was founded by a group of Belgian businessmen with the assistance of the Société Congolaise de Banque. The group invested 4 million Congolese Francs in the operation, and quickly took over the Congolese beer market with the Primus beer.

With the end of World War II, the Congolese economy expanded, and Brasserie de Léopoldville soon expanded to five breweries throughout the country, in Kinshasa, Boma, Bukavu, Kisangani and Mbandaka. Primus became the dominant beer in the country, and began to be exported to Belgium, where a large Congolese expatriate community had been forming.

In 1986, a majority stake in the brewery was purchased by Heineken, who renamed it Brasseries, Limonaderies et Malteries SARL (or Bralima for short). The company has faced scrutiny for their links to government corruption and insurrectionists. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has been engaged in a long-running, ongoing civil war, and Heineken has used a private security company, Top SIG, to safeguard its operations and crack down on dissent regarding its operations.

With Heineken’s support, Bralima has become the largest brewery in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by far. In 2008, Bralima had control of 75% of the market in the country, and was producing 3 million hectoliters of beer. It’s only main competitor, Bracongo, is owned by Société des Brasseries et Glacières Internationales, a subsidiary of Groupe Castel. That brewery is responsible for the production of Skol, which is also popular throughout central Africa.

Heineken also brews Primus beer in the Republic of Congo (through its subsidiary Brasco), as well as in Burundi (through Brarudi) and Rwanda (through Bralirwa).

Popular Beers by this Brand

• Primus

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