France: Carlsberg buys minority stake in French brewery Brasserie du Pays Flamand

Carlsberg, via its French subsidiary Brasseries Kronenbourg, has purchased a minority stake in Brasserie du Pays Flamand, a local brewery based in France, FoodBev Media reported on July 3.

The move is aimed at bolstering the presence of its Anosteké brand across the country.

The strategic partnership focuses on exclusive distribution agreements for supermarkets and on-trade establishments nationwide. It also includes plans to triple production capacity at Brasserie du Pays Flamand's Merville site to 200,000 hectoliters over the next five years, supported by a €25 million investment. In addition, the acquisition is expected to generate several dozen jobs.

Through this partnership, Brasserie du Pays Flamand and Carlsberg aim to accelerate the rollout of the Anosteké brand across France and, to a lesser extent, the Bracine brand.

Olivier Duthoit, co-founder of Brasserie du Pays Flamand, said: "Since the brewery was founded, we've never stopped innovating to produce beers of excellence, while at the same time investing to cope with the sustained growth we've experienced year on year. Today, we need to go one step further and invest massively in our production facilities to meet the demands of our customers throughout France. We also want to maintain our quality standards and continue to develop tasty recipes."

Brasserie du Pays Flamand and Brasseries Kronenbourg will collaborate to develop and promote the Anosteké brand. They will enhance ongoing decarbonisation efforts in northern France, focusing on packaging, energy efficiency, sourcing practices, logistics, water consumption and biodiversity conservation.

Mathieu Lesenne, co-founder of Brasserie du Pays Flamand, explained: "This strategic partnership will enable us to focus on stepping up the deployment of our environmental initiatives. In addition, we will be strengthening our action in favour of the local economy as we plan to recruit several dozen employees. For us, it's also a question of ensuring the continuity of the company as we have imagined it from the outset."

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