Carlsberg Group

Lore & Background

Carlsberg was founded by J. C. Jacobsen, a philanthropist and admirer of science. The first brew was finished on 10 November 1847, and export began in 1868 with one barrel to Edinburgh, Scotland.

Some original logos included an elephant and a swastika, the latter discontinued in the 1930s due to its association with the Nazi party. Jacobsen's son, Carl Christian Hilmar Jacobsen, opened a brewery in 1882 named Ny (New) Carlsberg, forcing J.C. to rename his brewery Gamle (Old) Carlsberg. The companies merged under Carl's direction in 1906 and remained so until his death in 1914.

Jacobsen set up the Carlsberg Laboratory in 1875, which worked on brewing-related scientific problems. The species of yeast used to make pale lager, Saccharomyces carlsbergensis, was isolated by Emil Christian Hansen at the laboratory in 1883 and shared freely. The laboratory also developed the concept of pH and made advances in protein chemistry.

In 1972, the Carlsberg Research Centre was established, with the laboratory as an independent unit. In 1876, J.C. Jacobsen established the Carlsberg Foundation, run by trustees from the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters, which managed the laboratory and supported scientific research. Due to a conflict with his son, Jacobsen's brewery was left to the Foundation upon his death in 1887.

Carlsberg merged with Tuborg Breweries in 1970 (backdated to 1969) forming 'De forenede Bryggerier' (United Breweries AS), and merged with Tetley in 1992, becoming sole owner of Carlsberg-Tetley in 1997. In 2008, Carlsberg Group, together with Heineken, bought Scottish & Newcastle for £7.8bn ($15.3bn). In 2024, a High Court Judge approved a £3.3bn deal for Carlsberg to buy UK drinks maker Britvic, with plans to create Carlsberg Britvic. The old brewery in Copenhagen reopened as a museum called Home of Carlsberg in December 2023 after refurbishment.

Reader's Guide

Carlsberg's significance lies in its long history of scientific contribution to brewing, notably the isolation of Saccharomyces carlsbergensis yeast and the development of the pH concept at its laboratory. The company's structure is unusual: since J. C. Jacobsen's death in 1887, the majority owner has been the Carlsberg Foundation, a philanthropic entity supporting scientific research. This foundation also manages the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, a public art museum in Copenhagen housing Carl Jacobsen's collection. Carlsberg's global reach expanded through overseas licensing (first in Cyprus in 1966), building breweries abroad (first in Malawi in 1968), and major acquisitions including Tuborg, Tetley, and a joint purchase of Scottish & Newcastle.

Its regional operations span Northern and Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and Asia, with subsidiaries in Poland, the Baltic states, Sweden, Norway, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Finland, France, Portugal, and the UK. In Russia, Carlsberg had a majority interest in Baltika Breweries but announced its departure in spring 2023; in July 2023, the Russian government seized Carlsberg-owned Baltika shares. The company also faced tax disputes in Uzbekistan, suspending production there in 2012 before resuming in 2013. In North America, Carlsberg brands are distributed by St. Killian Import Co., and in 2022 it acquired Ontario-based Waterloo Brewing.