GHANA – Guinness Ghana Breweries PLC, has commissioned a state-of-the-art Brewhouse worth GHS 145 million (US$23.9m).
According to the subsidiary of the British multinational alcoholic beverages company, Diageo, the new facility will boost its current production capacity by more than 150% of the old Brewhouse.
With the beefed-up capacity, Ghana’s leading drink company will increase its local raw material sourcing, propelling it towards its ambitions goal of acquiring 70% of its raw material requirements from Ghanaian farmers by 2024.
Currently, the company sources 61% of local raw materials i.e., maize, sorghum and cassava used to produce its premium beverages, from 30,000 farmers in 11 of the 16 regions in Ghana.
“Since 2003, Guinness Ghana has been using sorghum as an ingredient for the brewing of some of our brands such as Guinness Foreign Extra Stout and Malta Guinness.
“We have year on year made significant investments in the cultivation of sorghum and re-engineering our brands to use more local materials.
“This new investment will allow us to source more than 40,000 tonnes of sorghum a year since the primary raw materials for production at the new facility would be soghurm,” Helene Weesie, Managing Director for Guinness Ghana, said.
Commissioning the new plant, the Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry, Honourable Herbert Krapa, noted that the facility was an example of what experience and innovation can help achieve.
“In a market that is highly competitive, Guinness Ghana has shown that paying attention to every little need of the consumer is a guaranteed prescription for success,” he said.
The GH¢ 145 million facility will impact positively the government’s flagship Planting for Food and Jobs programme designed to enhance the capacity of farmers and to increase production of food and other agricultural products in the short to medium term.
“Maize and sorghum is an integral part of this programme. I believe Guinness Ghana’s exemplary efforts form a strong case to pay more attention to the production of these grains, as government is committed to supporting the manufacturing sector in the area of value addition,” Mr Krapa said.
Other than Guinness Ghana being committed to the Local Raw Materials (LRM) initiative, the company has also turned its focus to help protect and preserve natural resources and to help local individuals, businesses and communities to thrive.
Reducing its environmental impact, the Stout maker has lowered its fuel consumption by 25% by improving the efficiency of its boilers.
Also, they have reduced total packaging by 15% while increasing recycled content to 45% and making 100% of its packaging recyclable.
The company sustainably sources all its paper and board packaging to ensure zero net deforestation.
On water usage, Guinness Ghana has cut it by 29.6% since 2015 with 100% of operational waste water returned to the environment safely.
The brewer also recently commissioned a solar photovoltaic system on the roof of its plant in Accra, shifting to use of clean energy in its operations.
The 1,095 kWp solar power plant will provide up to 19% of the electricity consumed by the company, supplying 1,500 MWh per year, while avoiding 10,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
Liked this article? Subscribe to Food Business Africa News, our regular email newsletters with the latest news insights from Africa and the World’s food and agro industry. SUBSCRIBE HERE