Friday, March 29, 2024

Zambian Breweries assures Bars and Nightclubs of Increased beer supply after expansion

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The Zambian Breweries has assured the Bars and Nightclub Owners Association of Zambia (BNCOAZ) that the expansion of its Mungwi road plant is to double its capacity and service delivery to both distributors and consumers.

Last month, Zambian Breweries announced that it would be investing in the expansion of its Mungwi road plant with 90% going to high tech sustainable equipment.

Following the announcement of its massive US$80 million investment, the nation’s largest brewer held a consultative meeting and tour of its Mungwi Road Brewing Plant with the Bars and Nightclub Owners Association of Zambia where they assured the BNCOAZ President and present members that the move is meant to improve on production and service delivery.

Zambian Breweries Acting Country Director Andrea Tennekoon stated that the investment was a significant accomplishment for the brewery.

“We have made this investment in response to Zambia’s growing market demand for our products. Zambia was among three countries in Africa zeroed in for expansion investment, along with South Africa and Nigeria,” he said

“We are pleased that this will allow us to double our capacity, making Lusaka, again the biggest brewery in Zambia, we’re more than hopeful that this will also help alleviate problems of stock shortages for our distributors and of course the BNCOAZ members,” he added

Mr Tennekoon explained that over the last decade the brewery has pumped over $400 million in upgrades and expansions of its production capacity and works have already commenced with new office buildings being erected and the replacement of some key brewing equipment being installed.

And Zambian Breweries Corporate Affairs Director Ezekiel Sekele noted that the works will take 18 months to complete and is hopeful to have the first brew from the new plant around the first quarter of 2024 when works are fully complete.

“We’re committed to our consumers and this investment will not only benefit them but everyone else involved in our supply chain like the farmers in our out-grower schemes who grow cassava, sorghum and barley, we are also still heavily investing in other projects such as water conservation projects to ensure we constantly have good water to produce high quality beer,” he said

Mr Sekele further noted that despite the strides made in increasing its capacity and productivity, illicit alcohol still poses a challenge, a 2021 EY study estimated that K21 Billion in tax revenue was lost due to illicit alcohol and smuggling of counterfeit products.

Mr Sekele has since appealed to members of the BNCOAZ to use their voice in lobbying for a fair playing ground for all involved in the industry, especially for the proper enforcement of the National Alcohol Policy.

Meanwhile the BNCOAZ President Peter Mwale expressed happiness with the new developments and assured Zambian Breweries of the association continued support.

“As you know without Zambian Breweries, our businesses would not exist. We are aware of the opportunities that this industry has created and its role in helping us with our livelihoods and alleviating poverty,” he noted

Mr Mwale added that the Association is delighted that the increased capacity will alleviate some of the supply issues that have been faced by Association members who have also pledged to continue supporting the brewery in its endeavors in order to allow for the positive impact on the economy to continue.

12 COMMENTS

  1. Every government imposes a “sin tax” or excise duty for the consumption of alcohol and tobacco.
    Zambia’s alcohol tax rates are low.
    Excise duty on opaque beer(Chibuku) must increase from K0.15 per litre to K0.60 per litre .
    Excise duty on clear beer made from Malted barley must increase from 40% to 60%.
    The breweries and government will still make money but most importantly people will start DRINKING RESPONSIBLY.

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  2. The only investor with great assurances that they always live up to. I wish Zambia Breweries were a political party in Zed. They would be winning all the time.

  3. Beer is the worst thing you can drink. Myself I drink healthy low calorie spirits and red wines. Drink thqt beer if you want high cholesterol and poor performance in bed

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  4. Hopeless, isn’t it? Laughing all the way to the bank at the population’s expense.
    Since January 2022, how many road accidents have taken lives as a direct result of alcohol consumption? I don’t know how anyone can praise more alcohol production as good development. Sad.

  5. No guys but these Xenophobic Boers need to stopped or stop buying their nonsense. They want to get people get drunk so that people dont focus on their achievements but beer drinking, Stupid Racists Xenophobic Afrikaners. They must go and invest their beer in South Africa. Thats the place where people drink hopelessly and without careers. Zambia want progress and these Boers want to do what they did to South Africa Blacks “Make them drunk so that they forget about white color jobs and then us we will have jobs to ourselves”. This is an Apatheid gimmick, pls dont buy it my fellow Zambians, Beer is not an investment-doenst benefit no one but only the beer manufacturer himself alone at the expense of broken families & lost jobs!

  6. Why don they build desks or schools instead of more beers factories if they were legit? Why do they want to get more black people drunk? Themselves dont even drink this nosensical beer. They want to poison you, Beer makes you retarded,reduces your constructive attention to things. reduces your concentration levels, reduces the pursuit of your set goals. Eventually makes you redundant and hopeless.

  7. Only in Zambia can a brewery have the audacity to issue such assurances…can you imagine Anheuser-Busch Inevitable issuing such statements in Europe? We have very weak regulators this is irresponsible…Zambian market needs to open up for a competitor or competitors.

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