Diageo has held an event marking the official opening of its new brewery in Ireland today (11 May), with construction having been completed in “under 18 months”.
Powered entirely by renewable electricity, the Littleconnell Brewery, in Newbridge, County Kildare, has cost the Guinness brand owner around EUR300m (US$353m). Diageo had committed to spending approaching EUR1bn on its beer production assets in Ireland between 2020 and 2029, with about EUR400m of the investment earmarked for a further expansion at Littleconnell, which was first announced in August.
Coinciding with the ceremony, which was attended by Ireland’s Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, and Diageo CEO Dave Lewis, the company confirmed it has received planning permission for the expansion. ‘Brewery 2’ at Littleconnell, which is 50km west of Dublin, will produce Guinness and Guinness 0.0 and “will more than double [the] total site capacity”, Diageo added, from 2m to 4.5m hectolitres per year.
Construction will commence later this year.
“Ireland plays a key role in Diageo’s global beer supply, and Littleconnell is central to enabling future growth in Guinness exports,” said the group’s category head of global beer supply, Colin O’Brien. “This site is part of Diageo’s … investment programme that strengthens capacity, builds resilience across our brewing network and supports the global growth of Guinness and Guinness 0.0 from Ireland.”
“Further work” is planned to support the decarbonisation of the St James’s Gate facility in Dublin, which brews Guinness and Guinness 0.0 for the brand’s “largest markets”, including Ireland, the UK and the US.
Click play, below, for a Diageo-sourced video filmed at the official opening ceremony.
