February 2021

BEER production increased in December 2020 due to the crisis suffered during the months of lockdown, according to the Namibian Statistics Agency (NSA).

The latest issue of the Beverages Sector Report, which incorporated production figures for December 2020, shows that the country’s beer production fell from 8.6 hectoliters in April to 146.3 hl in December.

The report tracks hectoliters of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages produced in the country.

Namibia Breweries and ABInBev Namibia achieved the lowest brewing figures in the past six years for the months of April and May.

According to NSA figures, in April 2020 the combined production of the two breweries was 8.6 hl of beer but doubled in May, where they produced 16.9 hl.

Production climbed to 63.3 hl in June 2020, and continued to be below 100 hl until October.

The low production in April and May could be attributed to the ban on alcohol sales during this period to combat the spread of Covid-19.

Beer production for 2020, however, started to recover in October to its usual volume of over 100 hl, and continued its upward trend in November with 126.7 hl before reaching its highest level. of the year in December with 146.3 hl. .

Besides 2020, NSA country’s beer production data shows that as of 2015, the lowest production in the past five years was 77.1 hl in February 2015.

Beer production of less than 100 hl has only been recorded 12 times (months) in the last 60 months, excluding the Covid-19 year (2020).

The data also shows that December has always been the month of increased production and even restrictions related to Covid-19 have not stopped the production of the two brewers.

The December 2020 beer production of 146.3 hl was the third highest in the past six years.

However, for the past six years, 2019 can be called the year of beer as the country’s brewing exceeded 100 hl every month. It also hit its highest production of 152.3 hl in December, according to the NSA.

The production of beer and non-alcoholic products is categorized as manufactured in gross domestic product and the decline in production in 2020 shows a decline in manufacturing of almost 30% in the first quarter and 24.6% in the third trimester, according to the NSA.

Along with non-alcoholic beverages, the decline in beer production in the third quarter of 2020 cost the economy around 39.4% of business compared to 2019.

February 10, 2021 at 9:30 a.m. EST

Long known as a Belgian product, premium beer brand Stella Artois will soon lose its ‘import’ status and be made in the United States, as parent company Anheuser-Busch deploys a major domestic investment of $ 1 billion in two years in his portfolio. which aims to stimulate the US economy.

Under the terms of the deal, Stella’s bottling will first move to St. Louis this summer with a transition of can and keg production before the end of 2021. Four existing Anheuser-Busch breweries are slated for. long-term upgrades to handle the increased volume, with facilities in Los Angeles, Newark and Jacksonville, Fla. joining the company’s flagship in St. Louis to support brand manufacturing.

In addition, AB is preparing to invest an additional $ 296 million in national distribution of Stella over the next two years.

“Throughout the pandemic, our advanced planning and proactive actions have placed our US supply chain in a position of strength; however, we are subject to the instability of the international supply chain with respect to some of our imports, ”said Brendan Whitworth, AB’s sales manager in the United States.

The large-scale investment in Stella “will help create and maintain jobs” across the country, adds Whitworth, while reducing more than 7,000 metric tonnes of carbon emissions to the atmosphere each year, which is in line with the company’s 2025 sustainable development goals.