Asmara Brewery was the first brewery in Eritrea

Eritrea

Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...

. It was founded in 1939 by Luigi Melotti. The Brewery was nationalized by the Derg

Derg

The Derg or Dergue was a Communist military junta that came to power in Ethiopia following the ousting of Haile Selassie I. Derg, which means "committee" or "council" in Ge'ez, is the short name of the Coordinating Committee of the Armed Forces, Police, and Territorial Army, a committee of...

 during the Eritrean War of Independence

Eritrean War of Independence

The Eritrean War of Independence was a conflict fought between the Ethiopian government and Eritrean separatists, both before and during the Ethiopian Civil War. The war started when Eritrea’s autonomy within Ethiopia, where troops were already stationed, was unilaterally revoked...

 and was then inherited by the Government of Eritrea. The Brewery is share owned by investors and the Government of Eritrea. The factory exports up to 40% of its production, with the remainder being domestically consumed.

Football

The brewery operates a football team

Asmara Brewery (sport)

Asmara Brewery is an Eritrean football club based in Asmara.-Current squad:-See also:* Asmara Brewery...

 that plays in the Eritrean Premier League

Eritrean Premier League

The Eritrean Premier League is the highest division in football in Eritrea. The league was delivered in 1994 to the first time.Between 1953 and the Eritrean independence in 1993, Eritrean teams played in the Ethiopian Premier League, winning that league's championship 9 times.-Eritrean Premier...

.