Accra Brewery Limited
Accra Brewery Limited is a brewery based in Accra, Ghana.
Background
In 1931, Accra Brewery Limited, first registered in Switzerland as Overseas Breweries Limited, was built in Adabraka, becoming West Africa's first brewery. The company's establishment marked the beginning of Ghana's non-traditional manufacturing industry, with CLUB Premium Lager, its flagship brand, becoming Ghana's first manufactured product. In 1975, the assets of Overseas Breweries Ltd. were taken over by the locally registered Accra Brewery Ltd. to facilitate Ghanaian participation in the business. In October 2016, ABL became a subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev after the latter acquired controlling shares of ABL's former parent company, SABMiller Plc.History
Accra Brewery Limited's history began in 1931 when Overseas Breweries Ltd., a Swiss-registered company built the brewery in Adabraka, in an area later designated as the South Industrial Area of Accra.The Nathan Institute of Zurich, Switzerland, was contracted to see to the general supervision of all construction works, installation of plant and machinery, and brewery technology. The building contract was awarded to Turner & Schilling, a local firm who, with the assistance of over 500 workers, completed all the buildings for the official opening.
The Governor of the Gold Coast, Sir Shenton Thomas, inaugurated the Brewery, setting the company up as Ghana's first non-traditional manufacturing company, and the first brewery in West Africa.
ABL in the 1930s
A number of factors threatened to derail the company's fortunes in the 1930s.a) Its flagship brand, CLUB Premium Lager, had to compete against a variety of imported beers.
b) That era's recession generally impacted industries around the world, affecting the sale of beer which was considered a luxury.
c)The subsequent outbreak of World War II disrupted the constant flow of raw materials, spares, etc.
First Year of Production
In the first year of operation, a quantity of 24,411 cases = 8,878hl of beer and 2,076 dozen of soda and mineral water were sold. This was just enough to break even: for 1933/34, the books showed a moderate profit of £60. The following year, sales made was 54,102 cases of beer = 19,500hl and 6,795 dozens soda and mineral waters which meant that we produced nearly at as full as the installed capacity for the whole year which was about 20,00hl. From 1935 onwards, the company's Board was able to repay its capital debts and declare a modest dividend of 7% of the equity capital.Expansion Period
Ghanaians embraced CLUB Premium Lager after World War II, necessitating that production keep pace with demand. Factory buildings were, therefore, enlarged and new machinery and equipment were installed, bringing the company to current standards of brewery technology. In the early 60s, the capacity of its fermenting hall was also enlarged with the installation of 20 new fermenting vessels. Another key achievement was the construction of a new bottling plant, which was equipped with a new bottling line comprising a bottle-washing machine, a filler/corker unit, pasteurizer, and a labelling machine.In the 60s, ABL embarked upon a 4-Phase expansion programme that would have more than doubled its production capacity. While general economic constraints prevented that from happening, the company succeeded in completing Phase 1 which involved the installation of a new 700,000 hectolitre brew house at C5 million.