Asahi Group shuts Meantime Brewery in London 

UK – Asahi Group Holdings has announced the closure of its Meantime brewery in Greenwich, south-east London, in a strategic move to streamline its production operations.  

The decision is part of the Japanese giant’s plan to consolidate the brewing of its Meantime and Dark Star brands at its Fuller’s site in Chiswick, west of the capital. 

A spokesperson for Asahi emphasized the company’s commitment to efficiency and sustainability, stating, “Asahi UK today proposes to bring production of all its local beer brands together under one brewing operation at the Griffin Brewery in Chiswick. 

This will help the company use the extensive in-house brewing expertise and capabilities at Chiswick and create more efficient, sustainable operations, with a solid foundation for future innovation and investment.” 

Despite the closure of the Meantime brewery, Asahi aims to maintain a presence in Greenwich by creating a “standalone” consumer retail experience.  

The spokesperson outlined plans for this new venture, including the continuation of brewing, ensuring that Meantime and Dark Star beers will retain their unique brand identities separate from Fuller’s range in Chiswick. 

Highlighting the company’s commitment to its workforce, Asahi maintained that the business remained committed to treating all colleagues impacted by this proposal with compassion and respect. 

However, the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRE), an independent voluntary consumer organisation, has described the decision as a ‘further blow to British Brewing’. 

CAMRA’s real ale, cider, and perry campaigns director Gillian Hough said: “Having first moved production of Dark Star from Sussex to the Meanwtime brewery in Greenwicch, its a further blow for British brewing to hear that Asahi will now move production of both Dark Star and Meantime to a single site in Chiswick.” 

This move follows Asahi’s previous decision in November 2022 to close the Dark Star Brewery in West Sussex, resulting in the Meantime site taking on the production of the Dark Star range.  

The closure was attributed to the Dark Star facility operating significantly below capacity. 

As part of its global expansion strategy, Asahi acquired US contract beer maker Octopi Brewing in January, enabling the brewing of its Asahi Super Dry brand in the United States.  

In October of the previous year, the group unveiled plans to invest US$280 million in its Hungarian subsidiary Dreher Breweries, aiming to expand capacity over the next decade. 

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