Beer, soft drinks drive Castel growth
Castel Group Malawi, an alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages manufacturer, says it anticipates a positive business outlook in 2018 amid intermittent power cuts that have affected the production industry.
The firm’s communications manager Towela Munthali said this on Saturday when the company engaged the media to appreciate progress since rebranding from Carlsberg Malawi Limited in 2017.
She said the positive outlook is based on the company’s massive investment in equipment upgrades, installation of a new brewery and expansion of its product lines, among others, which have driven consumer growth.
“Group Castel has to date invested $22 million [about K16 billion] across the board, thereby bringing varieties of products not only new flavours for the local brand Sobo, but also new categories of juices that we import,” she said.
tour of the company’s plants
Munthali stated that the company is committed towards providing its non-negotiable quality requirements for all its consumers; hence, the company’s continuous investments in all its brands to enhance product safety.
She said: “As an organisation, we have certifications and quality standards that guide how we do things from the International Organisations for Standardisation [ISO] and Malawi Bureau of Standards [MBS]. These conduct audits on us and we don’t want to be in trouble; hence, ensuring that our products are fit for human consumption.”
In January this year, MBS recalled Sobo Orange Squash under batch numbers B284, B285 and B287 manufactured on December 3 2017 after its bottles were bulging and produced a fizzy gas emission upon opening and had a strange taste.
In an interview, Castel Group Malawi managing director Olivier Renson said the company plans to invest a further $10 million (about K7.3 billion) to boost its production this year.
He said this is in line with the company’s preparations for its 50th anniversary later this year following the establishment of Carlsberg Malawi Limited in 1968.
Other latest incentives from the firm include installation of a new polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plant for non-alcoholic beverages, upgrading production capacity and adding fresh products to its already existing brands. n
