• Indian bottler VBL signs exclusive deal to test Carlsberg sales in Africa
• Move aims to diversify beyond soft drinks into the growing alcohol segment
• Africa’s beer market projected to reach $32.5 billion by end-2025

Indian group Varun Beverages Limited (VBL), the main bottler of PepsiCo’s leading soft drink brands in Africa, is expanding into the beer segment. According to India’s The Economic Times on Wednesday, October 29, the company has signed an exclusive partnership with Danish brewer Carlsberg to allow some of its African subsidiaries to test the sale of the Carlsberg brand in their respective markets.

The initiative is part of VBL’s strategy to diversify its portfolio beyond carbonated beverages and capture a share of Africa’s fast-growing alcoholic drinks market.

According to Statista, the African beer market is expected to reach $32.5 billion by the end of 2025 and grow by an average of 6.5% annually through 2030. Details on the specific countries selected for the pilot phase have not yet been disclosed.

VBL currently operates production facilities in seven African countries: South Africa, Eswatini, Lesotho, Zambia, Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Morocco. In November 2024, it began steps to expand into Ghana and Tanzania and plans to establish a new plant in Kenya.

For Carlsberg, the partnership offers an opportunity to strengthen its global footprint through VBL’s distribution network. According to industry analyst BarthHaas, the Danish brewer ranked as the world’s fourth-largest beer producer in 2023 with a 5.4% market share, behind AB InBev (26.9%), Heineken (12.9%), and China Resources Snow Breweries (5.9%).