Who owns KINGFISHER BEER?
KINGFISHER BEER is owned by
HEINEKEN N.V.
First Brewed
1857
Origin
India, Asia
Kingfisher beer was first brewed at the Castle Brewery in Mylore, India in 1857. In 1915, Castle merged with Nilgiris Brewery, Bangalore Brewing Company, British Brewing Company, and BBB Brewing Company to become United Breweries. The brewery group was originally run by British nationals, since at the time India was under British control. But in 1947, as the country gained national indepedence, 22 year old Vittal Mallya took over as the first Indian director. One year later, he became the chairman of the board.
The brand went defunct sometime in the middle of the 20th century, but was brought back by Mallya’s son Vijay Mallya in 1978. By the 20th century, the company had over a 52% market share in India, and the Kingfisher brand alone has a 52% market share. In Europe, the beer is brewed locally, while in the United States it is imported from India.
Vijay Mallya has been called “the King of Good Times” due to his extravagant lifestyle, and has been a major shareholder in several other businesses as well. In 2005, United Breweries Group founded an airline based off of the brand, called Kingfisher Airlines Limited. It eventually grew to be the second largest Indian domestic airliner, but substantial losses caused it to fold in 2012. In 2021, Mallya fled India after facing sanctions over the failed airline business, as well as his over $1.1 billion in outstanding loans. The government then sold his 15% stake in the business to Heineken to recover the loans, which raised their overall share to 61.5% and granted them control of United Breweries.
Popular Beers by this Brand
- Kingfisher Premium
- Kingfisher Strong
- Kingfisher
- Kingfisher Magnum Strong
- Kingfisher Strong Fresh
- Kingfisher Draught
- Kingfisher Ultra
- Kingfisher Blue
- Kingfisher Red
- Kingfisher Lager
- Kingfisher Storm
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