The Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC) on December 4 announced that it had issued a final registration certificate for Inter-Mattrid Beverage (Cambodia) Co Ltd’s $78 million brewery/beverage plant.
The CDC noted that the facility is located in Dei Ith commune’s Sdao Kanleng II village in Kandal province’s eastern Kien Svay district and is expected to create 550 jobs.
The plant will be the Kingdom’s 13th brewery/beverage plant, data from Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation show.
An Inter-Mattrid Beverage sales representative, who asked not to be named, said the company is in the process of building the plant, but declined to reveal when it was scheduled to be completed.
He said all employees are undergoing training in preparation for the facility’s launch.
“Beer is all the rage in our country, people like to drink. No matter what kind of party it may be, there must be beer, especially at large functions,” he said.
CDC approved two similar projects earlier this year.
It gave the nod to Hanuman Beverages Co Ltd’s $160.6 million brewery/beverage plant in Chhak Chhoeu Neang commune’s Trapaing Veng village in the province’s western Ang Snuol district in April.
In July, it gave the green light to Vattanac Brewery Co Ltd’s plan to launch an $87 million brewery in Prek Eng commune’s Roboh Angkanh village in Phnom Penh’s Chbar Ampov district, east of the Bassac River.
Phnom Penh Beer Co Ltd accountant Heng Noeun told The Post that more breweries setting up shop in the Kingdom would widen the selection of beers on offer in what he described as a “shrinking market”.
He said: “It is still possible for new entrants to capture a market share in this sector, as trends illustrate that what people drink hinges on the ring-pull prizes they could win and strong advertisement campaigns.
“They don’t dwell on the taste very much at all, giving new companies room to gain some of the local market share.”
Noeun said the “Phnom Penh Beer” and “Special Lager Beer” brands are sold on markets in limited quantities, with the company committing more resources to export them to Thailand and Myanmar.
“Our exports have been severely affected, they’ve taken a hit due to border checkpoint closures during the Covid-19 outbreak,” he said.
In addition to Inter-Mattrid Beverage Cambodia, Hanuman Beverages and Vattanac Brewery, there are 10 other registered existing brewery/beverage plant operators, according to the ministry.
These are Ana Water and Smiler Beverage Co Ltd, Asian Sunrise Co Ltd, Cambodia Brewery Ltd, Cambrew Ltd, Daun Penh Food and Beverage Co Ltd, Khmer Beverage Co Ltd, Far East Import Export Co Ltd, Kingdom Breweries (Cambodia) Ltd, Media GB Enterprise Co Ltd, and Phnom Penh Beer Co Ltd.
