History
Kenya Breweries was founded in 1922 by two white settlers, George and Charles Hurst.The company is owned by the Dodd family of Kenya. By 1990, most of the shareholders were Kenyan and the company was very successful.
Tanzania Breweries had been started by Kenya Breweries in the 1930s. After being nationalized in 1967, Tanzania Breweries was poorly managed. However, in 1993 the Tanzanian government entered into a joint venture with South African Breweries Limited to run Tanzania Breweries. South African Breweries is one of the largest and most efficient brewing companies in the world. They turned Tanzania Breweries around with extraordinary speed, almost tripling production in the space of three years.
In 2002 East African Breweries Limited (EABL) and SABMiller Plc. effected a share swap of their interests in their subsidiaries: Kenya Breweries Limited and Tanzania Breweries Limited. EABL acquired 20% of the equity of Tanzania Breweries. SABMiller Plc. acquired a 20% equity stake in Kenya Breweries.
The partnership between EABL and SAB Miller in Tanzania went through turbulence in 2009, EABL claiming breach of contract by Tanzania Breweries (TBL) that led to low quality of EABL’s drinks that were produced by TBL and restriction of some of Diageo’s and EABL brands to enter the Tanzanian market. This led to EABL’s acquisition of 51% of Serengeti Breweries Limited (SBL) and exit from TBL’s shareholder structure through successful IPO through the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange. SAB Miller sold it stake Kenya Breweries to East African Breweries.
In 2003, Kenya Breweries consumed almost 6% of the Nairobi water supply.
In 2005, EABL became the first company in East Africa to reach US$1 Billion in value.
Read more about this topic: East African Breweries
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“Boys forget what their country means by just reading “the land of the free” in history books. Then they get to be men, they forget even more. Liberty’s too precious a thing to be buried in books.”
—Sidney Buchman (1902–1975)
“The principle office of history I take to be this: to prevent virtuous actions from being forgotten, and that evil words and deeds should fear an infamous reputation with posterity.”
—Tacitus (c. 55–117)
“In history the great moment is, when the savage is just ceasing to be a savage, with all his hairy Pelasgic strength directed on his opening sense of beauty;—and you have Pericles and Phidias,—and not yet passed over into the Corinthian civility. Everything good in nature and in the world is in that moment of transition, when the swarthy juices still flow plentifully from nature, but their astrigency or acridity is got out by ethics and humanity.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)