BGI Ethiopia, a subsidiary of the Castel Group, injected Birr 500 million into Meto Abo Brewery. BGI’s investment is used to remodel and expand the Brewery by enhancing the company’s capacity and improving its brand. The company is purchasing new machineries and generators which are expected to increase production capacity.

BGI aims to make Meta Abo one of the biggest breweries under its control. The other breweries of the company include St. George Brewery which is located in Addis Ababa, Zebidar Brewery, Hawassa Brewery, Kombolcha Brewery, and Maychew Northern Brewery. Castel winery and Vineyard is also the property of BGI Ethiopia.

Diageo, the British liquor and brewery company, sold Meta Abo to BGI last year. It purchased the brewery from the Ethiopian Government in 2012 for USD 225 million, following the Government’s privatization efforts. Diageo also made an additional investment of USD 119 million to expand the brewery’s bottling line.

BGI has a significant market share in Ethiopia’s beer market. It also exports its products to various destinations across Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia, and North America.

Source: Capital Ethiopia and 2Merkato archives