Bralirwa
 |
|
| Public: : BLRW | |
| Industry | Brewing |
| Founded | 1957 |
| Headquarters | Kigali, Rwanda |
|
Key people
|
Jonathan Hall Managing Director |
| Products | Beer, soft drinks |
| Revenue | US$109.5 million (RWF:64.96 billion) (2011) |
 Aftertax:US$24.8 million (RWF:14.7 billion) (2011) |
|
| Total assets | US$146.1 million (RWF:107.2 billion) (2014) |
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Number of employees
|
1,031 (1997) |
| Website | bralirwa.com |
Bralirwa, also known by its French name Brasseries et Limonaderies du Rwanda, is the largest brewer and soft beverage company in the Rwanda.
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: (a) It was easily accessible, by water, land and air and (b) 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% majority share 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.
Today, Bralirwa is a regionally and internationally recognized brewer and soft beverage manufacturer with an expanding portfolio of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
The shares of of the company are listed on the (RSE), where they trade under the symbol BLRW. The Heineken Group owns 75% of the shares of the company. The remaining 25% are owned by individual and institutional investors. In December 2009, the Government of Rwanda successfully divested from the company by selling 5% shareholding directly to the Heineken Group and by listing the remaining 25% on the RSE, through an Initial Public Offering (IPO). As of February 2011[update], the ownership of the company stock is as depicted in the table below:
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