“SindCerv: Brazil surpasses Europe in number of beer brands”
Poder 360 reports:
“The beer sector in Brazil is characterised by contrast. On the one hand, the proliferation of new breweries, especially craft breweries, is driving the diversity of labels and flavours available. On the other hand, there is strong market concentration, with just three companies accounting for 96% of production in the country.According to Márcio Maciel, president of Sindicerv (National Union of the Beer Industry), Brazil currently has 1,949 breweries spread across 790 cities. This represents exponential growth compared to the early 2000s, when there were only 40 factories.”
“Craft breweries boost creative economy in Alagoas”
Movimento Econômico reports:
“In Brazil, beer production reached 15.34 billion litres in 2024. The country recorded a 5.5% increase in the number of breweries, while the Northeast achieved growth above the national average, with 16.4% more establishments. This progress reflects a change in consumer profile, with consumers increasingly open to new sensory experiences and labels that value regional diversity.”
Assessment
SindCerv is clearly on a lobbying push, highlighting “the boom in breweries and brands” while the reality is that just three giant corporations control 96% of alcohol production. This framing is deployed to oppose alcohol excise taxes, claiming they would harm a “popular product” and threaten the sector’s contribution to the economy.
This tactic is not unique. Big Alcohol regularly frames effective alcohol policies as economic threats. In Uganda, industry lobbying against the Alcohol Control Bill relied heavily on exaggerated claims about jobs and tradition to block the law. And globally, Movendi International has documented how the alcohol industry uses similar narratives to push against public health-oriented alcohol taxation and other evidence-based measures as its own systemic problems deepen.
For alcohol policy advocates, this is a chance to set the record straight: alcohol taxes in Brazil remain low compared to much of Latin America, and the revenues collected are far from covering the large health, economic, and social costs caused by alcohol harm. Alcohol excise taxes are the single most effective alcohol policy tool available – recommended by international institutions to prevent and reduce harm, generate much-needed revenue, and improve social outcomes.