Who owns BGI Ethiopia (St. George Brewery)?

BGI Ethiopia (St. George Brewery) is owned by Groupe Castel (BGI). BGI Ethiopia (St. George Brewery) is based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Is BGI Ethiopia (St. George Brewery) still independent?

No. BGI Ethiopia (St. George Brewery) is owned by Groupe Castel (BGI) and is no longer independent.

When was BGI Ethiopia (St. George Brewery) founded?

BGI Ethiopia (St. George Brewery) was founded in 1922 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

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Archive record · Brewery

BGI Ethiopia (St. George Brewery)

Name: BGI Ethiopia (St. George Brewery)
Address: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

ActiveConglomerate-ownedMacro

Founded: 1922
Archive ID: TB-ZVZ8YES9
Last checked: 2026-08-05

Who owns this brewery?

Groupe Castel (BGI)

The direct owner is recorded. No company is held above it.

BGI Ethiopia (St. George Brewery)This brewery
Groupe Castel (BGI)Conglomerate

From the record

Summary

Ethiopia's oldest brewery, producing St. George lager, in a country with one of the world's deepest indigenous brewing traditions in tella and tej.

A summary written during research. The sourced facts are in the sections below.

Tally’s Take

St. George is Ethiopia's oldest commercial brewery — sitting on top of a home-brewing tradition in tella and tej that is far older than the country's lager.

The Museum

Timeline

1998
Privatised to Castel
Castel's Brasseries Internationales Holding wins the state auction for St. George Brewery in 1998, paying about $10 million, with the privatisation agreement signed that September. Ethiopia's oldest brewery, founded 1922, passes from the state to a French group.

The Beer Library

Beers

St. George

Year-Round

Pale Lager

ABV4.0%

A Belgian brewer named Mussie Hal opened Ethiopia's first brewery in Addis Ababa in 1922, naming it after the country's patron saint — who happens to be the same St. George claimed by England, by pure coincidence of medieval Christianity spreading in two very different directions.

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Castel

Year-Round

Country seed listing.

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Sen'Q

Year-Round

Country seed listing.

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St. George Beer

Beer

(ACTIVE) [Ethiopia Pass 01]

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Sources

controlConfirmed
BGI Ethiopia (St. George Brewery) is controlled by Founder / family.
Pierre Castel, brasseur de fortune en Afrique · Le Monde · 2023-07
NewsMedium reliabilitySource accessed 2026-08-05
Claim last checked 2026-08-05

Only the claims above are sourced. Everything else on this page is the archive's own research and has not yet been tied to a document — which is worth knowing rather than hiding.

Straight answers

Common questions about BGI Ethiopia (St. George Brewery)

Who owns BGI Ethiopia (St. George Brewery)?: BGI Ethiopia (St. George Brewery) is owned by Groupe Castel (BGI). BGI Ethiopia (St. George Brewery) is based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Is BGI Ethiopia (St. George Brewery) still independent?: No. BGI Ethiopia (St. George Brewery) is owned by Groupe Castel (BGI) and is no longer independent.
When was BGI Ethiopia (St. George Brewery) founded?: BGI Ethiopia (St. George Brewery) was founded in 1922 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

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