Who owns GALLO/FAMOSA BEER?

GALLO/FAMOSA BEER is owned by

CERVECERÍA CENTRO AMERICANA

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Gallo beer, also known as Famosa beer in the United States, was created in 1896 in Guatemala City, Guatemala by brothers Mariano and Rafael Castillo Córdova. Their brewery, Cervecería Centro Americana began 10 years earlier.

The brewery quickly industrialized at the beginning of the 20th century, and gradually began taking hold of the market. By the 1940s, Gallo had a near monopoly on beer sales in Guatemala. That monopoly held until 2003, when South American brewery AmBev began distributing its Brahva beer in the area. AmBev eventually merged with Belgian conglomerate Interbrew to become InBev, and in 2008 purchased Anheuser-Busch to become Anheuser-Busch InBev. The strength of their biggest competitor threatened Gallo, and by 2013 analysts were predicting that Gallo would be purchased by Anheuser-Busch InBev, despite the fact that they still held a 70% market share in the Central American country.

By this point, the Castillo family had over 2,000 shareholders with some stake in the business. In 2003, two of the cousins left the company to begin distributing Brahva, which caused a family feud and dissention over the falling prices of beer. Cervecería Centro Americana later changed its bylaws to prohibit selling shares without the consent of the board of trustees. In part because of this measure, the Castillo family managed to rebuff at least two purchase attempts by AB InBev, and it remains family owned.

Gallo beer, which means rooster in Spanish, features a red rooster as its logo. To avoid confusion with the Gallo Winery, in the United States and France, the beer is known as “Famosa,” which means “famous.” It still carries the iconic rooster logo, however, and therefore retains some level of popularity with Guatemalan immigrants.

Popular Beers by this Brand

• Gallo
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