Rwanda: Bralirwa to start brewing Heineken beer locally

Rwanda’s major brewer Braliwa - Brasserie et Limonaderie du Rwanda - is preparing to begin producing Heineken beer brand which is mostly imported, KT Press reported on September 25.

“Heineken beer to be produced in Rubavu-Rwanda very soon and exported to the region,” Jean Pierre Karabaranga, Rwandan Ambassador to Netherlands said on social media.

Braliwa is a subsidiary of the Netherlands based Heineken Group.

Karabaranga said the selection of Bralirwa to brew Heineken was motivated by excellent and attractive doing business climate in Rwanda. It is expected to spur exports and reducing the trade imbalance in the country.

The country’s largest brewing company, Bralirwa was founded in 1957 when it produced its flagship beer brand, Primus. The company later diversified its products by adding on its list Mutzig, Turbo, Amstel, Legend and soft beverages.

With the stiff competition of Skol brewing company, Bralirwa found itself in the discomfort zone where its revenues dropped by 82% and its profit before tax to Rwf 929million in the first half of 2016, down from Rwf 5.1 billion.

The company bounced back with an increase of 20.7% from Rwf 5.8 billion to Rwf 7.0 billion, in the first half of 2017 thanks to strict cost management.

Fred Nyangenzi, Head of Corporate and Communications department at Bralirwa Company, told KT Press, “the official information of the company about this development will be out this afternoon.”

Bralirwa began to import Heineken beer from the Netherlands in 1991.

25 September, 2017