Brasimba Brewery fights beer hunger in region rocked by rebels
DRC – Brasimba beer factory, a subsidiary of the Castel group, in Beni, Democratic Republic of Congo, has become the hope of this battered region, said Brasimba sales manager Thomas Wybauw.
Brasimba, which has been controlled by France’s Castel Group since 1995, has weathered two deadly Ebola outbreaks and waves of fighting linked to rebel militias active in the nearby forests.
After an initial investment of 125 million euros (US$134 million), beer output at the plant in the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo city of Beni has more than tripled to 600,000 hectolitres between 2013 and 2021.
Along with warehouse expansion, the company expanded production in the Beni plant last year with a second filling line.
According to people close to the factory, it should help Brasimba manage supply disruptions as the province grapples with a major offensive by the M23 rebels.
Mr. Wybauw added: “The Beni plant has become the hope of this battered region. Many people have embraced the project and find it extremely positive to see an international group investing in the region.”
Jean-Marc Wisole also commented that the company is unable to access certain areas sometimes, considering that some roads are sometimes blocked due to their poor or deep insecurity.
With that challenge, it takes longer to supply certain zones, or even sometimes prevents it. However, the country has never been loomed by a shortage of beer.
“It’s a source of pride for us to drink beer made in our own country,” noted Jean-Marc Wisole, savouring his bottle of Doppel Munich, one of the nine types of beer produced at the local plant.
Brasimba’s brewery Beni factory employs around 130 people and a further 180 temporary workers, providing much-needed income in a country where the World Bank estimates 73 percent of people live on less than US$1.90 a day.
In 2020, the Democratic Republic of the Congo exported US$35.6k in beer, making it the 137th largest exporter of beer in the world. In the same year, beer was the 248th most exported product in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The main destination of beer exports from the Democratic Republic of the Congo are Belgium (US$22.5k), Burundi (US$3.43k), Uganda (US$3.41k), Rwanda (US$2.96k), and Switzerland (US$1.47k).
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