One of the most anticipated corporate mergers in recent history was sealed last week when Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) acquired SABMiller. The Anglo-South African SABMiller purchased Colombia’s Bavaria from the family-owned Santo Domingo Group back in 2005 as part of this international group’s expansion into South America. Bavaria is South America’s No. 2 brewer with 99% market shares in Colombia and Peru.
As of Oct 10, the news of the third largest ever take-over became official and Bavaria, as well as the niche Bogotá Beer Company became part of the Belgium-based InBev and world’s largest beer company. For Colombia, the brands that are part of beer history, such as Club Colombia, Aguila, Poker and Costeña will continue to dominate the local market, but with the InBev incursion, consumers get more choice, with Stella Artois, Budweiser and Corona expanding InBev’s domestic beer portfolio. And of course you can still enjoy all the craft beer selections by the Bogotá Beer Company in their pubs and in restaurants and supermarkets across the nation.
The InBev-SABMiller merger also means new leadership at the top for Colombia and the region. Ricardo Moreira assumes the post of president for the COPEC (Colombia-Peru-Ecuador) area, while Luciano Carrillo, has been named president of Bavaria. The corporate offices for the Andean nations will continue to be based in Bogotá.
