Brasseries, Limonaderies et Malteries SARL (Bralima), established in 1923 as the Brasserie de Léopoldville, is a brewing company in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

which operates six breweries. It has been owned by

Heineken International Heineken N.V. () is a Dutch multinational brewing company, founded in 1864 by Gerard Adriaan Heineken in Amsterdam. , Heineken owns over 165 breweries in more than 70 countries. It produces 348 international, regional, local and speciality be ...

since 1986. It is most notable for its flagship Primus

beer Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...

but also produces various other alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

Brief details

Bralima produces a wide variety of beers and other beverages, including Primus beer, Mützig, Turbo King, Guinness, alcohol-free Maltina, and many soft drinks which are bottled under license of the

Coca-Cola Company The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational beverage corporation founded in 1892, best known as the producer of Coca-Cola. The Coca-Cola Company also manufactures, sells, and markets other non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups ...

History

After World War I, Belgian businessmen came to visit the present Democratic Republic of the Congo to evaluate opportunities to invest in the country. It was understood that the government was interested in producing beer for the local population as the beer produced by the inhabitants themselves caused major health problems. A brewery, which could brew a high quality beer, would improve the current situation. The investors decided to set up a brewery with the support of the “Société Congolaise de Banque”. On 23 October 1923 the “Brasserie de Léopoldville” (Léopoldville is now Kinshasa) was established for 4.000.000 Congolese francs. The first beer was produced on 27 December 1926. OK-Jazz in Brussels, 1961

After 1945 the brewery expanded during an economic boom in the DRC. Stakeholders were more likely to invest, and Bralima decided to implement a decentralized structure. From 1950 to 1958 Bralima decided to retain five breweries in DR Congo: Kinshasa, Boma,

Bukavu Bukavu is a city in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), lying at the extreme south-western edge of Lake Kivu, west of Cyangugu in Rwanda, and separated from it by the outlet of the Ruzizi River. It is the capital of the South Kivu pro ...

Kisangani Kisangani (formerly Stanleyville or Stanleystad) is the capital of Tshopo province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is the fifth most populous urban area in the country, with an estimated population of 1,312,000 in 2021, and the larg ...

and

Mbandaka Mbandaka (, formerly known as Coquilhatville in French, or Coquilhatstad in Dutch) is a city on the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of Congo located near the confluence of the Congo and Ruki rivers. It is the capital of Équateur Provin ...

. Majority owned by Heineken since 1986, Bralima has attracted scrutiny for alleged links with corrupt government figures, and with rebel leaders in the long-running, ongoing civil war. Because of fraught security situations in various parts of the country, Bralima employs a private security company, Top SIG, which is a subsidiary of Saracen International, to safeguard its operations. Bracongo is the competitor of Bralima in the DRC.

Beers

Primus beer; Mützig; Turbo King and Guinness under licence.

Primus beer

Primus beer is a 5%

abv Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as ABV, abv, or alc/vol) is a standard measure of how much alcohol (ethanol) is contained in a given volume of an alcoholic beverage (expressed as a volume percent). It is defined as the number of millilitres (mL) o ...

lager Lager () is beer which has been brewed and conditioned at low temperature. Lagers can be pale, amber, or dark. Pale lager is the most widely consumed and commercially available style of beer. The term "lager" comes from the German for "storag ...

that is brewed in Central Africa. It is brewed in

, Republic of the Congo, Burundi and Rwanda.

References

External links

Primus beerHeineken
{{Heineken International Breweries of Africa Heineken subsidiaries Coca-Cola bottlers Drink companies of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Manufacturing companies of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Companies based in Kinshasa