Guinness Nigeria PLC
Who We Are
This is the story of a truly successful company with a rich heritage and a great track record of growth and strong performance.
Guinness Nigeria Plc, a public limited liability company quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange was incorporated 29 April 1950 as a trading company importing Guinness Stout from Dublin. The Company has since transformed into a manufacturing operation and its principal activities continue to be brewing, packaging, marketing and selling of Guinness Foreign Extra Stout, Guinness Extra Smooth, Malta Guinness, Malta Guinness Herbs Lite, Harp Lager, Smirnoff Ice, Satzenbrau Lager, Dubic Malt, Snapp, Master’s Choice, Orijin Spirit Mixed Drink, Orijin Bitters, Smirnoff Ice Double Black with Guarana, Guinness Africa Special, Orijin Zero, Tappers and Royal Kingdom Lager.
Following the approval of the Board of Directors (the Board), Guinness Nigeria Plc acquired the rights to import, market, distribute and sell in Nigeria the International Premium Spirit brands of Diageo plc (“Diageo”), its parent company with effect from 1st January 2016. The Company now has exclusive distribution rights to Diageo’s iconic brands in Nigeria including Baileys, Smirnoff, Gordon's, Captain Morgan, Tanqueray, Ciroc and the Johnnie Walker range. Guinness Nigeria Plc installed Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) production lines and commenced production and sale of products in PET format in the 2018 financial year. It currently produces Malta Guinness, Orijin Zero and Dubic Malt in PET formats.
Guinness Nigeria Plc also acquired the right to manufacture locally some of the most successful mainstream spirits brands in Nigeria that are part of Diageo brands including Smirnoff Vodka and Gordon's Gin. Our relationship with Diageo has also enabled us acquire the right to import, market, sell as well as the right to produce locally MrDowell’s and Royal Challenge whiskey in Nigeria. This exciting new portfolio of fantastic brands makes Guinness Nigeria Plc the only Total Beverage Alcohol (TBA) business in Nigeria with the experience and capacity to cater for the needs of all consumer segments.
Our History
Guinness Nigeria has a rich heritage that stretches back almost two centuries.
Guinness Nigeria Plc is home of the first Guinness brewery outside of the British Isles. The first bottle of Guinness Foreign Extra Stout in Nigeria was brewed on the 30th of November 1963, three years after Nigeria’s independence - opening up opportunities for the overseas Guinness Foreign Extra Stout brewing in other parts of the world. Two years later, in 1965, Guinness Nigeria was listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. We are proud to be the world's second-largest market for Guinness, and a major part of the inspiring long history of brand Guinness.
Steady growth in markets for Guinness Stout and Harp Lager during the next 30 years prompted the building of three more major breweries in Nigeria. In 1974, the company built a second brewery in Benin, where it produced Harp lager beer. This facility was later expanded to accommodate a second stout brewery, commissioned in 1978. In 1982, a fourth Guinness brewery was built in Ogba, Lagos to brew Harp Premium Lager beer. This site too, was expanded to include Guinness Stout. In 2011, the Benin and Ogba breweries were expanded to further increase capacity and meet the growing demand for Guinness Nigeria products which include the acclaimed brands: Guinness Foreign Extra Stout, Guinness Extra Smooth, Malta Guinness, and Harp Lager beer. Other brands include Gordon’s Spark, Smirnoff Ice, Armstrong Dark Ale, Satzenbrau Pilsner, Top Malt, Harp Lime, Dubic Extra Lager and most recently, Malta Guinness Low Sugar.
Currently, we are proud to be the only Total Beverage Alcohol Company in Nigeria. This means we are the only company currently with a wide portfolio of brands catering to alcohol and non-alcohol drinkers, with Spirits, Lager & Beers, and Non-Alcoholic drinks.
Guinness Nigeria: Through the Years
Milestones
19th Century Guinness Stout first imported into Nigeria.
1950s Trading company for Guinness established in Nigeria.
1962 First Guinness brewery outside of Ireland and Great Britain built in Lagos.
1962 Guinness Eye Hospital built in Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).
1965 Guinness Nigeria is quoted on Nigeria Stock Exchange with 1,200 investors.
1974 2nd ultra-modern brewery built in Benin to produce Harp Lager.
1978 3rd brewery built at Benin to produce Guinness Stout.
1982 4th brewery built in Ogba to produce Harp Lager, and later Guinness Stout.
1986 Guinness Nigeria invests in farming of maize and sorghum to replace imported
barley.
1990 Malta Guinness launched into the Nigerian market.
1990 Guinness Nigeria invests N1.6billion (£45 million) in upgrading its breweries.
1991 Another Guinness Eye Hospital built in Onitsha.
1997 Guinness Nigeria becomes a subsidiary of Diageo Plc, thus gaining access to
Diageo's range of global brands and technical support.
1997 1st Water of Life mini-water works commissioned at Oregbeni/Benin,
Edo State.
2001 Guinness Nigeria records over 60,000 investors, share capital value
of N354million (£2.1 million) with shareholders’ funds of N14,158million
(£84.95m)
2001 Gordon Spark, an exotic ready-to-drink product is launched into the Nigeria
market.
2003 1st Corporate Citizenship Report launched to highlight the company's
contributions to the society
2004 Guinness Nigeria commissions another brewery in Aba, Abia State.
2004 Commissions the 2nd Water of Life mini-water works project in Aba,
Abia State.
2005 Commissions the 3rd Water of Life mini-water works project in Badia Lagos.
2005 Guinness Extra Smooth is launched in the Nigerian market.
2006 Smirnoff Ice launched into the Nigerian market.
2007 Guinness Nigeria becomes the 1st brewery in West Africa to be ISO
14000:2004 certified - the highest certification available for clean
environmental standards globally.
2007 Guinness Nigeria provides water to an additional 500,000 people in Nigeria
under the Water of Life scheme with mini-water works located in Lagos,
Anambra, Ogun, Imo, Rivers, Nassarawa, Niger, Ekiti, Kwara and Edo states
respectively.
2007 Guinness Nigeria becomes the 1st manufacturing company to become ISO
22000 certified for food safety standards.
2007 The International Institute for Quality Selection, Bruxelles, endorses Foreign
Extra Stout and Guinness Extra Smooth with Grand Gold Medals. Harp Lager
and Satzenbrau awarded Gold Medals for surpassing international quality
standards.
2008 Ogba Brewery emerges as Africa's best in the Guinness League of
Excellence.
2008 Guinness Nigeria goes live on SAP.
2008 The International Institute for Quality Selection, Bruxelles endorses all
Guinness Nigeria brands with Grand Gold Awards at the Monde's 47th
International Awards for surpassing international standards.
2009 Brand Guinness celebrates 250 years of iconic existence globally.
2010 Guinness Nigeria celebrates its 60 years of brewing excellence in Nigeria.
2011 Guinness Nigeria signs into the Convention of Business Integrity (CBi).
2011 Harp Lime, a cool new flavoured Harp Beer is launched into the Nigerian
market.
2012 Dubic Extra Lager, a beer with a great Nigerian heritage, is launched in Aba
and Ibadan simultaneously.
2012 The 1st solar-powered Water of Life mini-water works is commissioned in
Awba Ofemili, Anambra State.
2012 Guinness Nigeria wins the Best Place To Work in Nigeria and the Best
Multinational Company in Nigeria Awards.
2012 Malta Guinness Low Sugar, a new low-sugar Malta variant filled with top-of-
the-world goodness and vitality is launched into the Nigerian Market.
In the same year, SNAPP was also launched targeted at women.
2013
Guinness Nigeria launches Orijin Ready to Drink (RTD), an alcoholic drink with
the bitter-sweet taste of African herbs and fruits, which went on to become the
fastest growing innovation brand in Diageo history.
2015 Guinness Nigeria launches Guinness Africa Special.
2016 Guinness Nigeria launches Orijin Zero, a non-alcoholic variant of the popular
Orijin RTD, targeted at consumers who want to enjoy the bitter-sweet taste of
Orijin but without the alcohol.
2016 Guinness Nigeria is named the third best place to work in Nigeria and named
the best in Excellence in Wellness by the Great Place To Work Institute.
2018 Expanded the Ogba Brewery by adding a PET Line
