The Lao Brewery Company Ltd. (LBC) (ບໍລິສັດ ເບຍລາວ ຈໍາກັດ ''Bolisad Beerlao Chamkad'') is a producer of

beer Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...

, soft drinks, and bottled drinking

water Water (chemical formula ) is an Inorganic compound, inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living ...

in Laos. It is headquartered in

Vientiane Vientiane ( , ; lo, ວຽງຈັນ, ''Viangchan'', ) is the capital and largest city of Laos. Vientiane is divided administratively into 9 cities with a total area of only approx. 3,920 square kilometres and is located on the banks of ...

History

Founded in 1971, the Lao Brewery Company was at that time a

joint-venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acce ...

between French and Lao businessmen. It took up production in 1973 with a capacity of 3 million litres per year. The company, then called Brasseries et Glacières du Laos (BGL), marketed Bière Larue for the local market and "33" export for export (to countries in Indochina). With the

establishment Establishment may refer to: * The Establishment, a dominant group or elite that controls a polity or an organization * The Establishment (club), a 1960s club in London, England * The Establishment (Pakistan), political terminology for the military ...

of the Democratic People's Republic of Laos in 1975, the company was nationalised and obtained the status of a state-owned enterprise. It marketed its beer first under the Bière Lao brand, then (early 1995) as Beerlao. Their brand "33" export was marketed till 1990, and Bière Larue until 1995. In the wake of the 1986 economic reform program, which initiated a transition from

central planning A planned economy is a type of economic system where investment, production and the allocation of capital goods takes place according to economy-wide economic plans and production plans. A planned economy may use centralized, decentralized, pa ...

to a market economy and the launching of the New Economic Mechanism (NEM), the LBC in 1993 entered into a joint venture: 49% Lao government-owned with 51% foreign investment (Loxley: 25.5% and Italian: 25.5%) with a production capacity of 20 million litres per year and employing 300 workers. In 2005 there was a change in ownership, when Carlsberg Group acquired 50% of the company, while the Lao government kept 50%. In 2007 Carlsberg Group acquired 70% of the shares in Lao Soft Drink Co Ltd., with the Lao government keeping the remaining shares. All machinery is imported from Europe. The company processes locally grown

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...

and imports malted

barley Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley p ...

from

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

and

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

, and hops and

yeast Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to constit ...

from Germany.

Products

The company produces and markets 5 types of beer under the

Beerlao Beerlao (Lao language: ເບຍລາວ) is the generic name of a range of beers produced by the Lao Brewery Company (LBC) of Vientiane, Laos. History The beer is based on locally grown jasmine rice; the malt used is imported from Fran ...

brand (Beerlao Lager, Beerlao Gold, Beerlao Dark, Beerlao White, and Beerlao IPA) in addition to Lanexang lager. It also produces and markets bottled drinking water under the Tigerhead brand. LBC claims it has a 99% local beer market share. Beerlao is exported to a dozen countries, but the export figures are still modest, though increasing. Some Beerlao products (like Tigerhead water) are presented as they have been awarded several times with Gold Quality Awards at the World Quality Selections, organised yearly by

Monde Selection Monde Selection is an annual non-competitive award open to food, drinks, and cosmetics products, created in 1961. It is run by the commercial company, International Institute for Quality Selections, Brussels, Belgium. Consumer products are tasted a ...

but there is no mention of it on the official website .LBC reported growth of 19% in first half of 2010
Current News

External links

Official site

References

{{Reflist Food and drink companies established in 1971 Beer in Laos Companies of Laos PepsiCo bottlers Economy of Vientiane