Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA) has acquired Maluti Mountain Breweries soft drinks business. The new entity will be called Coca-Cola Beverages Lesotho (CCBL). The deal was signed on October 6, 2020 and has now passed regulatory approval.

The other key shareholders in the venture were the Lesotho National Development Corporation (LNDC) and Lesotho’s Ministry of Finance. CCBL will operate as a subsidiary of CCBA. CCBA is the eighth largest Coca-Cola bottling partner globally by revenue. It is the largest Coca-Cola bottler in Africa, accounting for 40 percent of Coca-Cola products sold in Africa by volume.

Maluti Mountain Breweries is part of Anheuser-Busch InBev. In the early 1980s, South African Breweries (which became SAB Miller, and then Anheuser-Busch InBev) secured a controlling interest in Lesotho Brewing Company and Maluti Mountain Breweries. Its main product is Maluti, a premium pale lager.

CCBL has already started distributing Coca-Cola products.