Get Guardian on GoogleChampion Breweries Plc has agreed with Thistlerock Enterprises Limited, owner of Bature Brewery, to manufacture and distribute Bature’s craft beer brands across Nigeria, in a move expected to broaden the company’s presence in the fast-growing premium beverage segment.
Under the agreement, Champion will brew, package and distribute Bature’s Lagos Lager, Black Gold Stout and Harmattan Haze from its brewery in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, using its national distribution network.
The partnership also gives Champion an option to acquire the three Bature brands, subject to agreed sales performance milestones and regulatory approvals. Bature x Champion Press Release.pdf
The proposed acquisition would cover the brands’ trademarks, recipes and goodwill and would be triggered when annual sales reach 40,000 hectolitres. The valuation would be determined under a pre-agreed, performance-linked arrangement.
The deal represents a strategic expansion for Champion Breweries as it seeks to diversify its beverage portfolio by combining its manufacturing and distribution capabilities with Bature’s established position in Nigeria’s independent craft beer market.
Champion said Bature would retain ownership and control of product development, brand strategy and consumer engagement during the licensing arrangement, while continuing to serve its Lagos hospitality accounts directly.
The company’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Malolan Sampath, said the partnership would enable Champion to use its manufacturing capacity and distribution infrastructure to take Nigerian beverage brands to a wider market.
“Our ambition is to build a diversified beverage business that creates value through the brands we own, the capabilities we develop and the partnerships we establish,” Sampath said.
He described Bature as an example of a Nigerian brand with strong potential for national expansion, citing its reputation for quality, creativity and innovation.
For Bature, the agreement provides an opportunity to move beyond its established Lagos market and reach consumers in other parts of the country without relinquishing control of its brand identity and product development.
Bature co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Kevin Conroy, said the partnership would let the brewery expand its product reach while maintaining the qualities that have defined the brand.
The national rollout will be phased, beginning with Lagos Lager, which is expected to launch at the Calabar Festival in December 2026.
Harmattan Haze is scheduled to follow in the first quarter of 2027, while Black Gold Stout is expected to enter the wider market later in 2027.
Founded in 2017, Bature Brewery is one of Nigeria’s pioneering independent craft breweries, with a portfolio that includes Lagos Lager, Black Gold Stout and Harmattan Haze.
The company’s Black Gold Stout won Gold at the 2021 African Beer Cup, while Lagos Lager received a Silver award at the 2022 World Beer Awards.
For Champion Breweries, the partnership adds three established craft beer brands to its existing portfolio, which includes Champion Lager and Champion Malt, while providing a potential pathway to ownership if the agreed sales threshold is achieved.
