HUF 100 Bn Investment Starts at Dreher Breweries

Two owners of Dreher Breweries, Asahi Group Holdings and Asahi Europe & International, are launching a HUF 100 billion investment in the company, which will serve the company's ambitious heritage and sustainability goals in the next decade, in addition to increasing capacity and efficiency, the company told MTI on Thursday.

According to the statement, the largest-ever investment in the Hungarian brewing industry will ensure the long-term future of the company, which celebrates its 170th anniversary in 2024.

The investments already completed in the past two years and those announced now will affect a number of processes. Last year, compressors and filtration equipment were replaced as part of a HUF 4.6 billion upgrade, and this spring the efficiency of pasteurization and header production was increased by installing one of the most modern aluminum can production lines of the era, at a total cost of HUF 7 billion, they said.

The first milestone of the investment program will be a HUF 30 billion upgrade in the period 2023-2026. As part of this, construction will start on part of the new energy center, which will support not only capacity growth but also the company's sustainability goals. The fermentation and conditioning stages in the cellars will be renewed, which will involve the replacement of tanks and the introduction of new technologies. This will involve continuous upgrading of the skills and knowledge of the company's staff, they said.

Dreher Breweries, founded in 1854, is one of Hungary's leading beer producers and since 2017 a subsidiary of Asahi, known as Japan's largest beer producer. The company directly and indirectly provides livelihoods for more than 11,100 people and pays HUF 17 billion in taxes and contributions to the state treasury every year.

According to publicly available company data, Dreher Breweries Plc. achieved a turnover of HUF 73.477 billion last year, compared to HUF 61.783 billion the year before. Profit after tax rose to HUF 3.080 billion last year from HUF 2.588 billion in 2021.