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 (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

which operates six

breweries A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of be ...

. It has been owned by Heineken International since 1986. It is most notable for its flagship Primus

beer Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches from cereal grain—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize (corn), rice, and oats are also used. The grain is mashed to convert starch in the ...

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, alcohol-free Maltina Energy malt, and many soft drinks which are bottled under license of the Coca-Cola Company.

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 Kinshasa (; ; ), formerly named Léopoldville from 1881–1966 (), is the Capital city, capital and Cities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kinshasa is one of the world's fastest-grow ...

) was established for 4.000.000 Congolese francs. The first beer was produced on 27 December 1926. 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:

, Boma, Bukavu,

Kisangani Kisangani (), formerly Stanleyville (), is the capital of Tshopo, Tshopo Province, located on the Congo River in the eastern part of the central Congo Basin in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is the country's fifth-most populous urban a ...

and Mbandaka. 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 Guinness () is a stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at Guinness Brewery, St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in the 18th century. It is now owned by the British-based Multinational corporation, multinational alcoholic bever ...

under licence.

Primus beer

Primus beer is a 5% abv

lager Lager (; ) is a Type of beer, style of beer brewed and Brewing#Conditioning, conditioned at low temperature. Lagers can be Pale lager, pale, Amber lager, amber, or Dark lager, dark. Pale lager is the most widely consumed and commercially availab ...

that is brewed in Central Africa. It is brewed in

Republic of the Congo The Republic of the Congo, also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo), is a country located on the western coast of Central ...

Burundi Burundi, officially the Republic of Burundi, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is located in the Great Rift Valley at the junction between the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa, with a population of over 14 million peop ...

and

Rwanda Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by ...

References

External links

Primus beerHeineken
{{Heineken International Heineken brands Breweries of Africa Drink companies of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Manufacturing companies of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Companies based in Kinshasa Food and drink companies established in 1923 1986 mergers and acquisitions 1923 establishments in the Belgian Congo Coca-Cola bottlers