In the heart of Lagos, with Afrobeats playing in an open-air pub, Bature Brewery is looking to carve out a space in Nigeria’s $7 billion beer market by enticing drinkers away from global brands and toward locally crafted brews.
Founded in 2017 in Abuja, Bature is now Nigeria’s largest craft brewery, producing 22,000 litres a month. It plans to expand output to 100,000 litres per month within a year and to grow its distribution network from 70 outlets to 500 across the country.
“We know there is more demand,” said co-founder Kevin Conroy. “Even 1% of the market would be $70 million. That’s what we’re aiming for.”
Bature’s beers, such as Harmattan Haze, Lagos Lager, Mango Disco and the award-winning Black Gold stout, are brewed with locally sourced ingredients, including coffee from Taraba State. The brewery has invested in draft systems for hotels and bars, new fermentation tanks, a water treatment plant and diesel generators to counter erratic power supplies.
Despite Nigeria’s economic challenges—such as a weak naira raising the cost of imported materials—craft beer is on the rise. Globally, the sector is projected to triple to $250 billion by 2033, according to Business Research Insights.
Nigeria is Guinness’s second largest market after the UK, but Bature’s founders believe there is room for alternatives.
“We’ll stay small compared to the big guys,” Conroy said, “but we believe we can make the best beer and grow on our own terms.”