Bralirwa

The history of Bralirwa goes back to 1957. The management of the breweries of the Congo and Burundi, then under the management of Brasseries de Leopoldville (Brewery of Kinshasa), decided to build another brewery in the Eastern region. The city of Gisenyi, on the northern shores of Lake Kivu, was selected to house the new brewery. Gisenyi was selected for two reasons: it was easily accessible, by water, land and air; and Lake Kivu has a large quantity of proven reserves of methane gas, a source of alternative energy. The brewery became operational in 1959 and began producing Primus beer, the only brand produced until 1987. In 1987, a new premium local beer brand, Mützig was introduced. In 1989, Bralirwa began making Guinness under license.

In 1971, the Heineken Group, a Dutch brewing conglomerate, acquired a 70 percent majority shareholding in Bralirwa. With the acquisition, Bralirwa greatly improved its brewing process.

In 1974, Bralirwa diversified into the production of soft drinks. A soft beverages plant was opened in Kigali, Rwanda's capital and largest city. The brewer partnered with the Coca-Cola Company, which allowed Bralirwa to widen the range of products manufactured.

As of 2018, Bralirwa was a regionally and internationally recognized brewer and soft-beverage manufacturer, with an expanding portfolio of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

Operations

The Bralirwa brewery is located in Gisenyi, approximately 158 kilometres (98 mi), by road, west of Kigali, Rwanda's capital city.

The administrative headquarters of the company is located in Kigali. Also located in Kigali is the Soft Beverages Plant, where Coca-Cola carbonated beverages are manufactured under license. In May 2011, press reports indicated that the company was in the process of establishing a new soft drinks manufacturing line at the company's plant in Kicukiro, a suburb of Kigali, and upgrading its brewing plant in Gisenyi.

Brands

The brands manufactured by Bralirwa include:

Beers