Cervecería y Maltería Quilmes (locally [seɾβeseˈɾi.aj malteˈɾi.a ˈkilmes]) is an Argentine drink company founded in 1890 in the city of Quilmes in Greater Buenos Aires. The company was established by Otto Bemberg, a German immigrant, in 1890 as a beer manufacturer.[5] Since 2002, Quilmes is owned by AmBev, the largest beer manufacturer in the world.[6]

Cervecería y Maltería Quilmes
Company type
IndustryBeverage
Founded1890; 134 years ago (1890)[1] in Quilmes
FounderOtto Bemberg
FateAcquired by AmBev in 2002
Headquarters,
ProductsBeer, bottled water, soft drink, energy drink, wine
OwnerAmbev (91%)[2]
Quinsa (9%)[note 1]
ParentAmbev
Websitecerveceriaymalteriaquilmes.com

Apart from beer, the company bottles and commercialises bottled waters, soft drinks, sport drinks, energy drinks, and wines, through several brands (some of them properties of parent company Ambev and other brands under licenses of PepsiCo, Nestlé, among others).[7]

Quilmes has manufactured several varieties of beer through the years, such as low-alcohol, bock, stout, lager, red lager, lager, and pilsner. Quilmes is the largest beer manufacturer of Argentina.[8]

History

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German-Argentine businessman Otto Bemberg founded the company in 1890

Immigrant Otto Bemberg, who had arrived in Argentina in 1852, established a brewery in the city of Quilmes in 1890. His product was marketed under the Quilmes name, which was the former indigenous denomination of the city. The company donated money to build the Quilmes hospital in 1918.[5]

The company grew quickly, and by the 1920s it was the most popular beer brand in Buenos Aires. Since then, it has become something of a national symbol and has 75% of the beer market share in Argentina. It sponsored the Argentina national football team, and the colours of its labels are Argentina's light blue and white.[9]

The Quilmes brewery c. 1910
Logo of the company used until 2020.[10] Since then, it remained as the Quilmes beer brand logo

In 1993, the company launched Liberty, the first non-alcohol beer in Argentina, and four years later, the Quilmes Light, a low-alcohol version. By 1998, Quilmes beers exported to the U.S. and Europe [9] In 1999, Quilmes acquired Baesa, the largest Pepsi plant in Argentina.[6]

In 2002, Brazilian company Ambev (formed by the merger of Brahma and Antarctica)[4] bought 37.5% of Quilmes S.A. for US$600 million in an agreement that gave AmBev control of the Quilmes brand in Argentina. The merger of the two companies created, for a brief time, the world's third-largest beverage producer.[2]

As of 2005, Quilmes had plants in Quilmes, Zárate, Tres Arroyos, Corrientes, Tucumán, and Mendoza. It is also exported to Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, the United States, Spain, Israel, Dominican Republic, France, UK, Italy, Australia, and several other countries. It sold a yearly total of around 17 million hL of beer and 8 million hL of soft drinks and other products.

In 2006 AmBev increased its share of the company to over 91%, effectively taking full control of the Quilmes name for US$1,200 million.[2] Therefore since 2002 AmBev paid US$1,800 million for the company. [11]

In February 2020, Quilmes entered to the wine market after acquiring Dante Robino winery in Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza. [6]

Products and brands

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As of September 2021, Cervecería y Maltería Quilmes bottles and markets the following line of drink products:[7]

Some brands commercialised by the company, fltr: Quilmes beer, Brahma beer, Gatorade sports drink
Division Brands
Beer Quilmes, Patagonia, Brahma[note 2], Stella Artois[note 2], Andes, Corona[note 2], Budweiser[note 2]
Mineral water Eco de los Andes, Glaciar, Nestlé[note 3], Awafrut[note 3]
Soft drink Pepsi[note 4], 7 Up[note 4] Mirinda[note 4], Paso de los Toros[note 4], H2OH![note 4], Guaraná[note 2]
Sport drink Gatorade[note 4]
Energy drink Red Bull[note 5]
Wine Dante Robino

Notes

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  1. ^ "Quinsa" (acronym for "Quilmes Industrial S.A."),[3] private consortium formed by the Bemberg, Miguens, and De Ganay families.[4]
  2. ^ a b c d e Under license of AB InBev.
  3. ^ a b Under license of Nestlé.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Under license of PepsiCo.
  5. ^ Under license of Red Bull GmbH.

References

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  1. ^ Quilmes celebra 130 años on Dossier.net, 21 Dec 2020
  2. ^ a b c La cerveza Quilmes ya pasó a estar totalmente en manos brasileñas at Clarín, 14 Apr 2006
  3. ^ Quilmes dejó de ser argentina on Infobae. 15 Apr 2006
  4. ^ a b Quilmes: Brahma compra acciones on Ambito, 26 Jan 2007
  5. ^ a b Un paseo por el Barrio Cervecero: su historia en fotos on Perfil.com by Silvina Palumbo, 30-08-2019
  6. ^ a b c Quilmes compra Robino y entra al mercado bodeguero on Cronista.com, 17 Feb 2020 by JUAN MANUEL COMPTE
  7. ^ a b Quilmes - nuestras marcas on Cervecería y Maltería Quilmes (3 Sep 2021)
  8. ^ AmBev presenta una oferta por el 100% de Quilmes on iProfesional, 24 Dec 2007
  9. ^ a b Quilmes, la historia de una empresa que se vendió en u$s1.800 millones on Infobae, 15 Apr 2006
  10. ^ Quilmes cumple 130 años y lo celebra con una nueva identidad on Brandemia.org - 9 Nov 2020
  11. ^ Venden la cervecera Quilmes a un grupo belga-brasileño by Alfredo Sainz, La Nación, 2006
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