Consulting firm Epsilon Technologies has seen Rivera family members take leading roles among Spain’s most influential leaders. In ranking analyses, the companies’ output, whether original or not, transparency, personal reflections, commentary on current events, and social commitments are all weighed. High-ranking executives in large corporations often share a restrained, conventional presence on social networks, avoiding flashy statements. Returning from vacation, Ignacio Rivera told followers that the return carried a “sweet taste,” noting that the team could finally relax. He expressed happiness and energy at seeing many people enjoying themselves again without fear or quarrel, and he emphasized the positive implications for the hospitality industry and tourism.
He advocates a needed relief against relentless news that could dampen morale with talk of a difficult winter, while embracing the broadly felt sense of ongoing economic complexity. He invites an optimistic and enthusiastic approach to the rest of 2022, expressing confidence that decline can be overcome and catastrophic projections avoided.
35 in the top 40
Rivera applies narrative energy and strong optimism to his business activities. In a mid-July meeting with Faro de Vigo at the O Encontro event organized by the Galician Center for University Studies, Cesuga, in A Toxa, Rivera predicted a favorable trajectory for tourism and a solid year-end for the company. He stated that growth would continue with double-digit gains, anticipating a tougher start to 2023 due to the looming crisis and inflation. If these projections hold, Hijos de Rivera would lead the industry in production growth among the world’s major brewers for the previous year.
Galicia holds a standout position, ranking 35th among the top 40 manufacturers by sales volume. Production rose 27.9% to 4.4 million hectoliters, a gain that moved the region up three places from 2020. The sector’s average growth was 4.9%. The global podium was led by AB InBev of Belgium with 582 million hectoliters, followed by Heineken of the Netherlands with 231.2 million, and Carlsberg of Denmark with 119.6 million.
Hijos de Rivera’s flagship brand posted the largest production increase, ahead of Chile’s CCU, which rose 23%. BarthHaas, a respected name in hops supply and author of global beer production balances, notes that many Western European markets still operated under covid-19 restrictions. A few German brands faced production losses that they had to compensate for, yet the report indicates that in many other regions, conditions improved and sales rose.
Expansion in Spain
Spain mirrored this recovery trend. Across homes and hospitality venues, total beer consumption reached 40.04 million hectoliters, a 9.7% rise compared with the previous year when pandemic disruptions depressed sales by 11.6%. Mahou San Miguel’s output approached 12 million with a 10.3% increase; Damm grew 3.3% to 10.26 million; Heineken accounted for 9.3% of the market with 9.6 million; Compañía Cervecera de Canarias produced 0.95 million hectoliters, and the Ágora Group contributed 13.9%. Cerveceros de España, the industry association, notes that Estrella Galicia was the sole brand to surpass its 2019 score with a 26.8% production jump to 3.47 million hectoliters.
As sales recovered, Hijos de Rivera achieved a record turnover last year, reaching 601.4 million euros, up 27.4% from 2020. Profit rose 79% to nearly 95 million euros. The company conveyed an upbeat outlook for 2022, highlighting the start of a second factory project in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the Morás plant expansion in Arteixo to raise capacity, and the planned phases of a 1,000 million liter-per-year project. Plans also include launching a new subsidiary in Mexico, signaling continued geographic growth and investment across the portfolio.