Who owns ESTRELLA DE LEVANTE BEER?
ESTRELLA DE LEVANTE BEER is owned by
S.A. DAMM
First Brewed
1963
Origin
Spain, Europe
Estrella de Levante was founded in 1963 in the Espinardo neighborhood of Murcia, Spain. The brewery was originally owned by German company Henninger Brewery, with Karl Martin Weber, who came up with the original recipe for the beer, serving as the master brewer. Estrella de Levante – which means “Star of the East” in Spanish – was purchased by Spanish brewery Cruzcampo in 1969. In 1991, Guinness PLC, which later became known as Diageo, purchased 89% of Cruzcampo for 98 billion pesetas, or the equivalent of about $1.02 billion. The deal made Guinness the 12th largest brewery in the world, and gave them a significant share of the Spanish beer market.
In 1999, Heineken sought to purchase Cruzcampo from Guinness, but was instructed by the national Competition Court to divest itself of some of its assets if it wanted to make the deal, to avoid an over concentration in the market. As a result, Estrella de Levante, along with Cruzcampo’s other brand Victoria Malaga were then sold to S.A. Damm, the makers of the similarly named Estrella Damm. Although that beer had been around since 1876, it had only taken on the Damm name in 1992 when Barcelona hosted the Summer Olympics. Prior to then, the beer was known as Estrella Dorada.
Estrella de Levante is still one of the most popular beers in the Murcia region of Spain. Currently, it produceds about 110 million liters of beer per year. In 1996, it released its first non-alcoholic offering, Estrella de Levante Sin.
Popular Beers by this Brand
- Estrella de Levante
- Estrella de Levante 0.0 Amber Lager
- Punta Este
- Estrella De Levante 0.0 Sin
- Cerveza de Navidad
- Gose Estrella de Levante
- Stout
- Wheat Beer
- Unfiltered Beer
- Verna
Like what we’re doing here? Donate to help keep the site alive!