Cambodia: Cambodia Brewery Limited expands and adds Heineken to its production line

Cambodia Brewery Limited (CBL) on March 6 officially unveiled a $100 million major brewery expansion and announced the addition of Heineken to its production line, the Khmer Times reported.

Frans Eusman, president of Heineken Asia-Pacific, said his company began operations in Cambodia in 1994 as a joint-venture between Asia Pacific Brewery Limited and Progress Import-Export Company, which is owned by the Vattanac Group, and invested about $56 million to build a brewery in Cambodia.

Mr. Eusman said the decision to expand the brewery was due to an increasing demand for their products in Cambodia. He said the company invested more than $100 million into the expansion, which was completed by the end of 2016.

He added that the brewery’s capacity to produce beer is from 80 million to 300 million litres per annum or about 27,000 to 100,000 cases of beer per day.

Now Cambodia Brewery Limited has been granted authorization from Heineken Company to produce Heineken beer in Cambodia after CBL took up the rights as exclusive distributor of Heineken in Cambodia in 2015,” Mr. Eusman said.

Industry and Handicraft Ministry secretary of state Sat Samy said that CBL and Asia Pacific Brewery had invested about $56 million on a brewery to produce, import and sell ABC Stout, Tiger, Anchor, Gold Crown and Gold Crown Stout for local consumption since 1994.

He added that the stability of the economy and politics as well as a solid potential investment climate pushed CBL to expand its operations and start producing Heineken.

“The expansion project took about two years and was completed by the end of 2016,” Mr. Samy said.

“The site is about 10,964 square meters. The new production chain can produce about 20,000 bottles of beer per hour and 60,000 cans of beer per hour to supply the domestic market,” he added, saying that the new factory has added nearly 460 jobs.

Prime Minister Hun Sen, who presided over the grand opening on March 6, welcomed the expansion. He said he was at the ceremony more than two decades ago when CBL invested $56 million to build its initial brewery.

“The progress of CBL has contributed to strengthening the national economy and reducing poverty since this company has added more than 456 jobs and pays about $100 million in taxes to the state per year,” he said.

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