Business · Trade · 5 hrs ago
Spanish brewers expand abroad as domestic beer consumption falls
Spanish beer exports rose 8% last year, reaching 3.64 million hectolitres.
The expansion comes as beer consumption per person in Spain fell 4.4% in 2025, leading brewers to seek customers abroad.
Estrella Galicia’s owner is opening a subsidiary in Germany, with its own local teams to develop sales in bars, restaurants and shops.
Germany is a key market: it produces more beer than Spain and is one of the main countries sending tourists to Spain.
Mahou San Miguel already gets 20% of its sales volume abroad, while Hijos de Rivera, Estrella Galicia’s owner, gets 15% of its revenue from international markets.
Both companies aim to grow their overseas business, using their own brands, local operations and partnerships; Mahou also plans to develop its production capacity.
Spanish beer exports rose 8% last year to 3.64 million hectolitres, while per-capita beer consumption in Spain fell 4.4% in 2025.
Spanish brewers are expanding abroad as falling domestic consumption pushes them to seek new markets.
International business accounts for between 20% and 30% of sales at Spanish beer companies, according to the article.
Estrella Galicia owner Hijos de Rivera has opened a subsidiary in Germany and announced one in Italy, while Mahou San Miguel is developing its business through brands, partnerships and local operations.
- Who
- Spanish brewers including Hijos de Rivera and Mahou San Miguel.
- What
- They are expanding their international operations as domestic beer consumption falls.
- When
- The article was published on 23 October 2026; it says per-capita consumption fell 4.4% in 2025.
- Where
- Spain and overseas markets including Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States.
- Why
- The fall in beer consumption in Spain has led companies to seek new markets for their products.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Per-capita beer consumption in Spain fell 4.4%.
Hijos de Rivera announced a subsidiary in Italy.
Hijos de Rivera announced a new subsidiary in Germany.
Expansión reported on Spanish brewers’ international expansion.
- Spanish beer exports
- 3.64 million hectolitres last year, up 8%
- Domestic consumption
- Per-capita consumption fell 4.4% in 2025
- Hijos de Rivera exports
- 82 countries
- Hijos de Rivera international sales
- 15% of turnover
- Mahou San Miguel international sales
- 20% of sales by volume are outside Spain
- German beer production
- 83.9 million hectolitres, compared with 41.5 million in Spain
What people are saying
un país estratégico
un gran potencial de desarrollo para los productos de la empresa
Tendrá que ser más, un 20%, si lo hacemos bien
No se trata del número de países donde operamos, sino que allí donde estamos presentes somos la cerveza española número uno