Champion Breweries

This implies that Management of Champion Breweries Plc ensures that the set guidelines and objectives with regards to its Environment Management System and desired level of efficiency are maintained including relevant statutory and regulatory requirements. Champion Breweries Plc was incorporated as a Private Limited Liability Company on the 31st of July, 1974 with the same South East Breweries Limited. The Company's name was changed from South East Breweries Limited to Cross River Breweries Limited and thereafter to Champion Breweries Limited. The latter name, Champion Breweries Limited was changed to Champion Breweries Plc on the 1st of September, 1992. On the 24th of November 1974, the then South Eastern State of Nigeria signed an Agreement with Messrs. Haase Brauerie GMBH of Humbury ("Technical Partners") for the supply and construction of a turnkey Brewery in Uyo with a capacity of 150,000 hectoliters. The foundation stone of the Brewery was laid on the 19th of March, 1975. on the 11th of December 1976, the Brewery was officially commissioned and its products, Champion Lager Beer launched into the market with success with initial capacity of 150,000 hectoliters per annum. The second expansion, which incorporated more sophisticated machinery, was completed and put on trial run in September 1979. The second production line was officially commissioned on the 11th of December 1979 with enhanced capacity of 500,000 hectoliters per annum. The same year the Company's products, "Champion Lager Beer" and "Champ Malta" won Silver Medal for quality at the 16th World Selection for Beers and Non-Alcoholic Beverages in Luxemburg. Consequent upon pressure of demand for its products, the Company took a decision to double its capacity to one million hectoliters. This third expansion, which gulped substantial resources, could not be realized. The non-completion of the expansion programme coupled with lack of working capital and inadequate maintenance of the Plants forced the Company to close its doors for business between 1990 and 1991. All subsequent reactivation attempts did not yield the desired results. With the advent of democracy in Nigeria in May 1999; the Government of Akwa Ibom State made the reactivation of the brewery a cardinal activity. Consequently, the Akwa Ibom State Investment and Industrial Promotion Council (AKIIPOC) was charged with the responsibility to reactivate the Company. Pursuant of this mandate, AKIIPOC, in conjunction with the Board of Directors of the Company, went to the market to solicit for Core Investors/Technical Managers. In the process, Messrs Montgomery Ventures Incorporated of Panama (with Offices in Geneva, Switzerland) was identified and brought into the Company as Core Investors/Technical Managers after a Memorandum of Understanding was signed. Based on the Memorandum, a Reactivation Committee was set up by the Board of the Company to work with the Core Investors/technical Managers for the revamping of the Company. The reactivation process, which commenced in February, 2000 lasted about nineteen months. Now, the Plant has been revamped and restructured to use one hundred percent locally sourced raw materials. The Brewery is now fully operational and the capacity is 500,000 hectoliters per annum. The reactivated Brewery was officially commissioned on the 23rd of October, 2001. Champion Lager Beer is now in the market and is doing well. Other products of the company including Champ Malta will follow soon. Already the Company has successfully held an Extra-Ordinary General Meeting of the Shareholders during which approval was given for the authorized Share Capital of the Company to be increased from N26 Million to N450 Million and subsequently in the year 2003, it has been increased to N2 Billion. The second phase of reactivation programme has begun already. The aim is to diversify the Company's product base and bring the capacity to 1,000,000 hectoliters per annum. The Company also emerged the winner of prestigious PEARL AWARD in the category of "Highest Share Price Appreciation" in the year 2003.