Spanish brewer Hijos de Rivera has bought a majority stake in domestic craft beer producer Basqueland Brewing.
“This union brings together two great Spanish breweries,” Basqueland Brewing said in a statement.
Details on the size of Hijos de Rivera’s stake in Basqueland have not been released.
Family-owned Hijos de Rivera brews Estrella Galicia and was founded in 1906. It is based in A Coruña, Galicia.
Basqueland Brewing was founded in 2015 and is based in San Sebastian in the Basque region.
“We are taking a key step forward in our craft brewers project,” Hijos de Rivera’s executive chairman Ignacio Rivera said.
Francisco Ucha, chief executive officer of Hijos de Rivera added the move would help Basqueland reach buyers in Spain. “For a decade, they have built a culture of cooperation, unwavering quality, constant creativity, and a determination to expand the craft beer sector in Spain. We want to broaden their reach,” he said.
“There are still only few beer consumers in Spain who know Basqueland or have experienced the quality of craft beer. We intend to change that reality,” Ucha added.
Basqueland chief executive officer Kevin Patricio is confident of the diverse appeal of its products. “We are in biker bars and three Michelin-starred restaurants. Our beer is a common thread that weaves through the fabric of the hospitality industry,” he said.
Hijos de Rivera has shown its interest in craft beer before. Last year, it bought an undisclosed stake in the Valencian brewer Tyris.
Last month, Hijos de Rivera announced it had set up a subsidiary in the UK.
The brewer said it had created Estrella Galicia UK as a response to its “exponential growth in sales over recent years” in the country.
Hijos de Rivera started exporting to the UK in 2012. Last year, the company’s sales in the UK grew more than 50%, the company said, without providing more detailed figures. The UK, the group told Just Drinks, is its fifth-largest export market.
