Krombacher slips to 32 - six German breweries among the top 40!

Krombacher slips to 32 - six German breweries among the top 40!

The German brewing industry is under pressure, as the latest rankings and analyzes show. According to the analysis of the hop dealer Barthhaas from 2024, the Krombacher brewery, the only private brewery from North Rhine-Westphalia among the top 40 worldwide, occupies 32nd place with an output of almost 0.6 billion liters. Compared to the previous year, this is a decline in a place that reflects the ongoing challenges on the beer market.

Overall, the number of German beer manufacturers in the top 40 from eight in 2020 reduced to just six. In addition to Krombacher, the Radeberger Group, TCB Beteiligungsgesellschaft, Oettinger, Paulaner and Bitburger are represented in the ranking. The Radeberger Group, Germany's market leader, is based in the Oetker Group and, unlike Krombacher, was able to record a minus of only 0.6 percent.

declines and competitive pressure

The top 40 breweries together produced almost 164 billion liters of beer in 2024, which corresponds to a decline of 0.6 percent compared to the previous year. It is particularly noteworthy that the Oettinger Group recorded the greatest decline with a minus of 12 percent. The challenges for the industry are set, including nationalization of foreign brewing activities in Russia favored the ranking descent from German brewery. The largest Russian Baltika brewery returned to 12th place, regardless of Carlsberg.

German beer emissions fell by 3.3 percent to 84.89 million hectoliters in 2023, which corresponds to an alarming trend for the industry. The general economic environment remains challenging, with high costs for energy, raw materials and logistics. These factors press the proceeds and production.

Krombacher: A traditional brewery in change

The Krombacher brewery is one of the largest privately managed companies in Germany and was founded on February 4, 1803 by Johannes Haas. The water for the brewery was originally

transported in barrels from a source on the Grumberg. Krombacher Pils is one of the best -selling beers in the country and is widespread as a non -alcoholic variant and as a Krombacher cyclist, a mixture of pils and lemonade.

The brewery is also committed to environmental initiatives, such as the rainforest campaign, which was started in 2002. This campaign tries to save beer areas in the rainforest by selling beer areas. Even if the implementation of the campaign is criticized, it shows the company's awareness of social responsibility.

The latest market analyzes and the low positions in the global ranking illustrate the difficulties with which Krombacher and other German breweries are faced. From INBEV, the undisputed number one remains among beer manufacturers worldwide, which increases direct competitive pressure to the remaining German manufacturers. The forecasts for 2024 show an uncertain future because the industry continues to struggle with the aftermath of the Ukraine War and the associated economic turbulence.