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Archive record · Brewery

Lion

Auckland, New Zealand

ActiveConglomerate-ownedMacro
Founded
1923
Archive ID
TB-GHBAQ7KD
Last checked
2026-08-05

Who owns this brewery?

Lion

At the top of the chain: Kirin Holdings Company, Limited. Every step is shown below.

  1. LionThis brewery
  2. LionSubsidiary
  3. Kirin Holdings Company, LimitedConglomerate

Tally Answers Beta

Who owns this brewery?
Lion, a wholly owned subsidiary of Kirin HoldingsVerified
01

From the record

Summary

New Zealand's largest brewer and producer of Steinlager, whose green bottle became a national symbol after the 1987 Rugby World Cup.

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

Tally’s Take

Steinlager's green bottle became a national symbol on the back of a rugby win — the kind of marketing money genuinely cannot buy.

02

The Museum

Timeline

  1. 1923
    Founded

    Lion begins brewing in Auckland.

  2. 1987
    Milestone

    New Zealand's largest brewer and producer of Steinlager, whose green bottle became a national symbol after the 1987 Rugby World Cup.

  3. 2009
    Kirin takes full control

    Lion Nathan shareholders vote for a complete takeover by Kirin Holdings in September 2009, with the merged entity formally established that October. Australasia's largest brewer passes into Japanese ownership.

04

The Beer Library

Beers

Steinlager

Year-Round

Pale Lager

ABV5.0%

Born from a dare: New Zealand's finance minister restricted beer imports and challenged local brewers to make an international-grade lager. They did, and it started winning gold overseas.

Drank this? Add it to your passport →
07

Follow the money

How it changed hands

1 recorded move
  1. 1923Founded
  2. 2009Kirin takes full control

    Lion Nathan shareholders vote for a complete takeover by Kirin Holdings in September 2009, with the merged entity formally established that October. Australasia's largest brewer passes into Japanese ownership.

Today the chain tops out at Kirin Holdings Company, Limited.

08

Show your working

Sources

  1. controlConfirmed

    Lion is controlled by Public company.

    Kirin Report 2025 · Kirin Holdings · 2025

    PrimaryHigh 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.

09

Straight answers

Common questions about Lion

Who owns Lion?
Lion is owned by Lion. Lion is part of Kirin Holdings Company, Limited. Lion is based in Auckland, New Zealand.
Is Lion still independent?
No. Lion is owned by Lion, ultimately Kirin Holdings Company, Limited, and is no longer independent.
When was Lion acquired?
2009. Lion Nathan shareholders vote for a complete takeover by Kirin Holdings in September 2009, with the merged entity formally established that October. Australasia's largest brewer passes into Japanese ownership.
When was Lion founded?
Lion was founded in 1923 in Auckland, New Zealand.
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