Written by Nick Hedley | From Business Day Live

SABMiller’s first Namibian brewery, which cost $33m (R367m) to build, has started producing its Carling Black Label brand, and will be fully operational later this year, the company said on Thursday.

SABMiller’s Namibian operation, in which it has a 60% holding with local partners having the balance, previously imported all its beer from SABMiller subsidiary South African Breweries (SAB).

Unlike in SA where SAB commands a near 90% share of the local beer market, SABMiller’s position in Namibia is not as dominant. The company says it has about a 22% share of the Namibian market through brands such as Castle Lager, Carling Black Label and Castle Lite.

These beers will be brewed at the new site in Okahandja, 70km north of Windhoek — the headquarters of Namibia Breweries, which dominates the market with brands such as Windhoek and Tafel Lager. In SA the Windhoek brands are distributed by brandhouse.

SABMiller said its 260,000 hectolitre Namibian brewery “will be one of SABMiller’s most efficient and environmentally friendly breweries of its size in the world”.

Read more at Business Day Live