Heineken opens first $100m brewery in Mozambique

Heineken has opened its first brewery in Mozambique, representing a US$100 million (€85 million) investment in the African beer market.

Heineken has opened its first brewery in Mozambique following a US$100m investment.

Located in the province of Maputo, between the Marracuene and Manhiça districts, the brewery will have a production capacity of 0.8 million hectolitres.

It recently started to brew Txilar, a new beer specially made for Mozambican consumers made using local maize grown in Catandica district in the central province of Manica, and will also continue to produce international brands including Heineken, Amstel, Sagres and Strongbow.

With a GDP growth of 3.5% in 2018, Heineken believes that Mozambique’s socio-economic fundamentals are “encouraging”, with beer consumption currently at 10.5 litres per capita.

“We believe in Mozambique,” said Jean-François van Boxmeer, chairman of the executive board/CEO of Heineken N.V. “The population is young and vibrant, the middle-class is growing and living increasingly in cities, the economic perspectives are encouraging and the beer market has a great potential to grow. The construction of Heineken’s first brewery is a major step for the company’s presence in the country.”

Heineken began its move on Mozambique in late 2016, establishing a sales and marketing office there to import international brands including Heineken, Amstel, Sagres and Strongbow.

The brewery is currently employing 200 people, 96% of which are Mozambican, with the brewery also expected to support further indirect jobs through its entire value chain.