History
Immigrant Otto Bemberg, who had arrived in Argentina in 1852, established a brewery in the city of Quilmes in 1890. His product was marketed under the Quilmes name, which was the former indigenous denomination of the city. The company donated money to build the Quilmes hospital in 1918.[4]
The company grew quickly, and by the 1920s it was the most popular beer brand in Buenos Aires. Since then, it has become something of a national symbol and has 75% of the beer market share in Argentina. It sponsored the Argentina national football team, and the colours of its labels are Argentina's light blue and white.
In 1993, the company launched Liberty, the first non-alcohol beer in Argentina, and four years later, the Quilmes Light, a low-alcohol version. By 1998, Quilmes beers exported to the U.S. and Europe [7] In 1999, Quilmes acquired Baesa, the largest Pepsi plant in Argentina.
In 2002, Brazilian company Ambev (formed by the merger of Brahma and Antarctica)[8] bought 37.5% of Quilmes S.A. for US$600 million in an agreement that gave AmBev control of the Quilmes brand in Argentina. The merger of the two companies created, for a brief time, the world's third-largest beverage producer.[2]
As of 2005, Quilmes had plants in Quilmes, Zárate, Tres Arroyos, Corrientes, Tucumán, and Mendoza. It is also exported to Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, the United States, Spain, Israel, Dominican Republic, France, UK, Italy, Australia, and several other countries. It sold a yearly total of around 17 million hL of beer and 8 million hL of soft drinks and other products.
In 2006 AmBev increased its share of the company to over 91%, effectively taking full control of the Quilmes name for US$1,200 million.[2] Therefore since 2002 AmBev paid US$1,800 million for the company. [9]
In February 2020, Quilmes entered to the wine market after acquiring Dante Robino winery in Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza. [10]
