Africa-Press – Tanzania. Serengeti Breweries Limited (SBL) has unveiled a three-year investment plan worth 166bn/- that involves the capacity expansion of its breweries as well as the establishment of a new spirits manufacturing facility.
The programme which started in 2019 will see the brewer boost its production in its three breweries located in Dar es Salaam, Mwanza and Moshi.
The company has also established a state of the art spirit manufacturing facility in its Moshi brewery as part of the investment plan.
The SBL Managing Director Mark Ocitti said here at the event to commission the new spirit manufacturing facility that the expansion will create increased demand for cereals that SBL sources from local farmers’ growers of maize, barley and sorghum for beer production.
“It will create more direct and indirect job opportunities and expanding the company product distribution footprint nationally. It also means creating more revenue to the government through increased tax revenue collection,” he said.
He added, “The new spirits production facility will produce mainstream spirits products locally and, in so doing, enable SBL to become more competitive in the spirits landscape,”
He pointed out that before the opening of the spirits facility, SBL was a net importer of all of its spirits brands.
The event was attended by Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa who applauded SBL for the additional investment into the country which will improve the livelihoods of its stakeholders and stimulate economic development.
PM reiterated the government commitment to creating a conducive investment environment in the country to attract both foreign and local investments.
According to the MD, the SBL’s new spirits production facility built at 15.6bn/- is part of the brewer’s three-year expansion journey at the Moshi brewery where the company plans to spend 38 million Pounds (124bn/-) to expand beer production capacity.
The new spirits facility can produce various spirit products, including those currently imported by SBL.
However, the company has started by producing a local brand known as Bongo Don, which Mr Ocitti described as being a truly local product of world-class quality.
SBL currently employs over 800 staff both directly and thousands of others indirectly.
The company uses cereals grown by local farmers including maize, sorghum and barley for beer production which SBL buys from a network of over 400 farmers countrywide.
