| Industry | Alcoholic beverage |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1889 |
| Headquarters | Sumida, Tokyo, Japan |
| Products | Beer |
Asahi Breweries, Ltd. (アサヒビール株式会社 Asahi Bīru Kabushiki Gaisha) TYO: 2502 is a leading brewery and soft drink company based in Tokyo, Japan. The company has a 40% share of the Japanese beer market.[1]
The company's primary beer, from 1957 through the late 1980s, was Asahi Gold (overtaking Asahi Draft, its original formula, which remains in production). In 1987 it introduced Asahi Super Dry, which initiated the Japanese craze for dry beer; this led in turn to Asahi's dramatic turnaround in business performance, and its surpassing of former second ranker Sapporo Brewery in sales and profits. [1]
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In 1990, Asahi acquired a 19.9% stake in Australian brewery giant Elders IXL which has since become the Foster's Group.
In 2009, Asahi acquired the Australian beverages unit of Cadbury Schweppes.
On January 23, 2009, Asahi acquired 19.9% of Tsingtao Brewery from Anheuser-Busch InBev for $667 million. The sale will make Asahi Breweries, Ltd. the second largest shareholder in Tsingtao behind only the Tsingtao Brewery Group.
The main brand is Asahi Super Dry. Other beers produced include:
Asahi Breweries' headquarters in Tokyo were designed by French designer Philippe Starck. The Beer Hall is considered one of Tokyo's most recognizable modern structures.[2]