Carlsberg opens Foshan Sanshui Brewery

The state-of-the-art brewery is another example of the Carlsberg Group’s strategy to invest in long-term opportunities within key growth markets.

Foshan Sanshui, the "Water Capital of China," welcomes a new neighbor! On August 28, the Carlsberg Group officially opened its 27th brewery in China. The new brewery illustrates the Carlsberg Group’s strategy to invest in key growth markets, including China, India and Vietnam.

“At a time when our company is increasing our long-term growth ambitions, we are committed to accelerating strategic investments to enable long-term growth in China,” said Henrik Poulsen, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Carlsberg Group, during the opening ceremony.

The Foshan Sanshui Brewery boasts an impressive annual production capacity of 5 million hectoliters. The facility is equipped with two bottling production lines with a capacity of 48,000 bottles per hour, one canning line with a capacity of 90,000 cans per hour, and one keg beer line with a capacity of 90 barrels per hour. With brands such as Wusu, 1664 Blanc, Carlsberg and Tuborg being brewed in Foshan, the brewery plays an important role in growing the Carlsberg Group’s overall Premium portfolio in China, which a key value-creating opportunity for the Group.

“With new technology and advanced brewing equipment, the brewery not only boosts production and ensures consistently high-quality brews but also supports our sustainability targets by integrating solar panels and an underground rainwater collection system,” said Jacob Aarup-Andersen, Carlsberg Group CEO.

Achieving Multiple “Firsts”

The brewery has achieved several notable ‘firsts’ for Carlsberg Group.

First Sponge Brewery

The Foshan facility is the Carlsberg Group’s first “sponge brewery.” This innovative approach harnesses the Guangdong region's abundant rainfall and is designed to collect and treat rainwater for use in landscaping, workshop cleaning, and non-contact production processes. Other environmental aspects of the brewery include a solar-powered air-conditioning system. In logistics and transportation, the Foshan Sanshui Brewery is Carlsberg Group’s first brewery to use 100% electric forklifts, promoting carbon reduction in transportation.

First Development Centre Outside Europe

The Foshan Brewery will serve as home to the Carlsberg Group’s first Development Centre outside of Europe. It will offer new product development, trend analysis, flavor research, brewing technology, packaging package design, and professional testing. The Development Centre will serve as a hub for innovation, enhancing the Group’s ability to meet the evolving demands of the Asian market while improving operational efficiency and enabling innovations to get to market faster.

Milestone: Beginning Carlsberg China’s Next 30-Year Journey

Carlsberg’s journey in China began more than 150 years ago, when founder, J.C. Jacobsen decided to ship the first boxes of Carlsberg beer to China, making it one of the company’s first international export markets.