With a transparent glass façade, a predominantly white structure and a large sign proclaiming 'Victoria. Malaga 1928', the production plant is located on the La Azucarera business park, clearly visible from the N-340 road. And this is not by chance, since Grupo Damn, owner of the almost centennial brand, did not want to build a simple brewery. "We want a brewery that is open to the city, whose purely industrial function has the same importance as its relationship with the people of Malaga," Sergio Ragel, External Relations Manager at Victoria, explained this morning.

With this in mind, the Malaga architectural design studio, Gana, designed a building in which light and glass are pre-eminent, which gives visitors a direct view of all production processes, and which also has a large hall designed to hold tastings, events and live concerts. It also houses a small museum where the history of the emblematic brand is retold, dating back to its foundation in El Perchel in 1928 by the Franquelo family. And there is, of course, a tasting bar and the culminating point of the guided tours, which will be available to all the people of Malaga and tourists who wish to find out more about Cervezas Victoria.

This commitment by Victoria to produce again in Malaga has involved an investment of 6 million Euros. But that is just the beginning, as master brewer and plant manager, Eduardo Sall, commented. "Several investment proposals are being examined, to expand and diversify the packing lines in the short term, at a cost of an additional 15 million Euros," he said. The plant will initially have a production rate of around 1.2 million litres per year, but with these investments this could reach 3 million litres. And that’s not all. In the long term, the brewery is ready to continue growing until it reaches 15 or 20 million litres per year, as more production and packing lines are installed.

The brand new Victoria brewery has now been supplying beer to restaurants and supermarkets in Malaga for three weeks. Currently, its products are packed in two formats: barrels and 1/3 L non-returnable bottles. In addition, it has a 'beer drive' system, which takes the beer from the brewery to hospitality establishments which have their own tanks in refrigerated tanker lorries. The other formats on sale in stores, including cans and litre bottles, are still manufactured at the Damn Group plant in Murcia. "The idea is to transfer all the production of the beer consumed in Malaga and the province here gradually, as we install more packing lines," said Sall. In the future the introduction of more varieties, alongside the classic Victoria “lager”, has not been ruled out.

40 people work at this new plant, which also houses the Victoria commercial offices, and to this figure must be added the indirect security, cleaning and marketing employees. It covers a surface area of 3,374 square meters. The brand is cautious in its calculations of the effect on its sales that this commitment to producing in Malaga once more will have, but its managers are hopeful and, above all, excited. "We’re like kids with new shoes," confessed Ragel. The opening day of the new brewery will culminate this afternoon with the visit of a large group of politicians to the facilities, headed by the Minister of Employment, Javier Carnero, and the President of the Provincial Delegation of the National Govenrment in Malaga, Elías Bendodo.

See the original news article in Diario Sur