Carlsberg Group: On the Road to Become the Fastest Growing Beer Company in the World

Carlsberg Group is the fourth largest brewer in the world. It has 41,000 workers worldwide. Carlsberg is diversified in terms of markets, brands and cultures. Among its largest markets are Asia, Eastern Europe, and Western and Northern Europe.

As a matter of business philosophy, Carlsberg focuses on markets where it exercises significant strength and the right combination of products to secure its position in the industry. Carlsberg did well in its long term projections because early on, the Group has anticipated the variations in markets, growth contributions, and the development and earnings within the Group.

The Group had a simple mission: to be the fastest growing beer company in the world. The parameters to measure Carlsberg’s success include growth in revenues, and operating income within a period of three years.

To cover the markets without a Carlsberg brewery, the Group enters the market through exportation and license agreements. Its four premium brands would stay in their international market positions by way of duty-free shops, export partners and license agreements.

The beer portfolio of Carlsberg has over 500 brands with varying target audience, price and volume. The portfolio carries Carlsberg’s four premium brands Kronenbourgh 1664, Baltika, Tuborg and Calsberg, and some local brands like Wusu (Western China), Lav (Serbia), Feldschlösschen (Switzerland), and Ringnes (Norway).

Baltika,Tuborg and Carlsberg are among the six leading beer brands in Europe, in which Baltika is ranked number one. Kronenbourg is in the tenth position in France.

The Group was established by J.C. Jacobsen in 1847. Jacobsen named his brewing company after his son Carl. The earliest brewing activity happened on November 10, 1847.

In 1875, Jacobsen put up the Carlsberg Laboratory to work on the scientific problems that are related to brewing. Within the Lab are the departments of Physiology and Chemistry. The Lab was able to discover the Saccharomyces carlsbergensis, a species of yeast used to produce pale lager. The Lab also developed the concept of pH and the advances related to protein chemistry. The Lab was renamed Carlsberg Research Center in 1972.