East African Breweries (EABL) on Tuesday commissioned the building of a microbrewery in Nairobi, to serve as an innovation center for alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

The facility located in Ruaraka next to the Tusker Brewery will be constructed at a cost of Sh1 billion and will consist of a microbrewery, taste room, taproom and a flagship store.

Group Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Jane Karuku said the brewery is set to be opened to the public by December in time for its first beer Tusker’s 100-year birthday.

EABL was established in December 1922 and the new investment, according to Karuku, is part of the company marking a year-long celebration of its centenary.

The new plant will serve as a brand home for Tusker to foster the brand’s market visibility into the future and is expected to fuel the next 100 years of growth for the business.

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The brewer says the plant will serve as an innovation center to nurture upcoming talent in brewing and liquid development in Kenya, East Africa, and the entire Diageo brands.

 “Through this facility, EABL seeks to shape the future of the alcoholic beverage sector in the region through the development and release of craft and novelty beers. We will target our beer lovers, curious millennials and tourists who visit us; offering them exciting drink experiences that will demonstrate our mastery in beer brewing honed over the 100-year journey as they consume our products either on-site or through their preferred vendors,” Karuku said.

The largest brewer in Kenya and the region says the microbrewer will bring to life grand primary spaces where visitors will intimately interact with Kenya’s oldest alcohol producer.

The spaces include brewing facilities in which the end-to-end processing of products will take place; from production to packaging for in-bar consumption or shipping to partner outlets.

Jane Karuku and Eng Philemon Mwawasi. PHOTO/EABL

There will be a taste room, where visitors will learn about and sample the various brews that the company offers in a guided session led by sensory experts.

There will also be a taproom (consisting of a bar and restaurant) that will provides a unique, engaging customer experience with great food, drinks, and entertainment options.

Further, there shall be a world-class beer garden with a scenic view of the Ruaraka as well as a flagship public store that will act as a souvenir shop for branded merchandise to be largely designed in collaboration with local artists and entrepreneurs.

Karuku added, “Our ambition is to have this facility join the league of top tourist attractions in Kenya; offering a world-class brewery visitor experience that has never been seen before in the East and Central African region.”