Archive record · Brewery
San Miguel Brewery
Manila, Philippines
- Founded
- 1890
- Archive ID
- TB-0RCN2S12
- Last checked
- 2026-08-23
Who owns this brewery?
The direct owner is recorded. No company is held above it.
- San Miguel BreweryThis brewery
- San Miguel CorporationConglomerate
From the record
Summary
The oldest brewery in Southeast Asia, founded under Spanish royal grant in 1890 and now exported to more than sixty countries. The Spanish San Miguel is a separate company that split away in the 1950s. Not an acquisition: this is the brewing arm of the group that bears its name, so there is no purchase date to record.
A summary written during research. The sourced facts are in the sections below.
Tally’s Take
Southeast Asia's oldest brewery, founded by Spanish royal grant. The San Miguel sold in Spain is a different company entirely — the two parted ways in the 1950s.
Ownership & corporate history
- Subsidiary of San Miguel CorporationJuly 2007
What the sources say
Researched 2026-09-13 (Wikidata parent lead); no held claim preceded it. The beer business spun into San Miguel Brewery, Inc.; today held through San Miguel Food and Beverage, Inc.
- Owned by Kirin Holdings Company, LimitedMay 2009
What the sources say
Researched 2026-09-13 (Wikidata parent lead); no held claim preceded it. 48.304% (7,443,871,280 shares) after the purchase from SMC and the mandatory tender offer, completed May 2009 — a stake, not control.
Ownership history is kept as dated events, so a change of owner never overwrites the one before it.
The Beer Library
Beers
San Miguel
Year-RoundPale Lager
Enrique María Barretto opened La Fábrica de Cerveza San Miguel in Manila in 1890 under a Spanish royal charter, with a German brewmaster running the equipment. By 1914 it was already exporting to Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Guam — one of the first Asian breweries to sell itself back out into the world.
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Sources
- controlConfirmed
San Miguel Brewery is controlled by Founder / family.
San Miguel Corporation — SEC Form 17-A · Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission · 2026-04
PrimaryHigh reliabilitySource accessed 2026-08-05Claim 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 San Miguel Brewery
- Who owns San Miguel Brewery?
- San Miguel Brewery is owned by San Miguel Corporation. San Miguel Brewery is based in Manila, Philippines.
- Is San Miguel Brewery still independent?
- No. San Miguel Brewery is owned by San Miguel Corporation and is no longer independent.
- When was San Miguel Brewery founded?
- San Miguel Brewery was founded in 1890 in Manila, Philippines.
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