What DB Breweries does

DB Breweries Limited, headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand, is the country's largest integrated brewing and hospitality group and a wholly-owned subsidiary of HEINEKEN (acquired via HEINEKEN's purchase of Asia Pacific Breweries in November 2013). Founded in 1929 as Dominion Breweries, the company operates three breweries (Waitemata in Auckland, DB Draught in Timaru, and Tuatara in Upper Hutt), one cidery (Redwood Cider Co. in Nelson), and several heritage experience sites (Tui HQ in Mangatainoka and Monteith's in Greymouth, plus the newly opened Brewtown Taproom), producing approximately 160 SKUs of beer, cider, seltzers, and RTDs across 20-plus brands. Core local brands include DB Draught, Export, Tui, Monteith's, Tuatara, and Odd Company; the portfolio is supplemented by HEINEKEN-distributed international brands including Heineken, Tiger, Sol, Kingfisher, Murphy's, Rekorderlig, and Old Mout. Manufacturing operations hold ISO9001, MPI Approved Food Safety Programme, and GFSI certifications.

The company's go-to-market spans on-premise (bars, restaurants, hospitality venues), off-premise (retailers, supermarkets, liquor stores), export (Australia, Thailand, Taiwan, plus Pacific Island markets), and the Drop Shop B2B portal for retailers, wholesalers, and venues. Since 2023, DB is the majority shareholder of Star Hospitality — formed by combining its Auckland-based Joylab Hospitality Group with Wellington-based Kāpura — creating New Zealand's largest integrated brewing and hospitality group operating 50-plus bars, restaurants, and gastropubs across the North Island with a combined 2,000-plus employees. Revenue is generated primarily through B2B beverage product sales to trade customers at negotiated trade terms and unit-level RRP pricing for retail packs (e.g., 10×330ml RTD packs at RRP NZD 26.99–30.99), with a secondary recurring revenue stream from hospitality operations through Star Hospitality.

DB has executed a multi-year portfolio pivot toward low-carb, no-sugar, and zero-alcohol formats (Export Ultra Low Carb 2023, Heineken Silver 2023, Tui Ultra Low Carb 2025, plus the April 2026 launch of New Zealand's first Heineken 0.0 draught trial), and in 2025 refreshed its executive team with Managing Director Peter Hart alongside new functional directors in supply chain, digital & technology, sales, and corporate affairs.

Name

DB Breweries

Legal name

DB Breweries Limited

Website

https://db.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1929

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

DB Breweries is New Zealand's largest integrated brewing and hospitality group, wholly owned by HEINEKEN, producing beer, cider, seltzers, and RTDs across 20-plus brands and three breweries plus a cidery, and operating 50-plus on-premise venues through Star Hospitality.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Brewery and Beverage Manufacturing

NAICS

Breweries (31212), Beverage Manufacturing (3121), Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers (424810)

SIC

Malt Beverages (2082), Beverages (2080), Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Regional & National Breweries (THAFALAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Beer, Wine & Spirits Wholesale Distribution (CRAOAIAA), Alcoholic Beverage Tours & On-site Experiences (Brewery/Winery/Distillery) (THAFALAK)

Keywords

• Craft beer brewing
• Beverage manufacturing
• Ready-to-drink RTDs
• Cider production
• Alcoholic beverages

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Beverage Product Sales: DB generates revenue primarily through manufacturing and selling beer, cider, seltzers, and RTD products to retailers, wholesalers, venues, and directly to consumers through on-premise establishments.
2. Hospitality Operations: As majority shareholder of Star Hospitality (50+ bars, restaurants and gastropubs across the North Island), DB benefits from integrated hospitality operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

DB Breweries manufactures and distributes beer, cider, ready-to-drink (RTD) and seltzer beverages across New Zealand through three breweries (Waitemata, DB Draught, Tuatara) and one cidery (Redwood Cider Co.), producing approximately 160 SKUs across 20+ brands. The portfolio combines iconic New Zealand brands (DB Draught, Tui, Monteith's, Export, Tuatara) with international HEINEKEN-owned brands (Heineken, Tiger, Kingfisher, Sol, Murphy's) and licensing partnerships (Rekorderlig). The company also owns and operates Star Hospitality, New Zealand's largest hospitality group with 50+ venues.

Product overview

DB Breweries is a multi-brand beverage company producing and distributing over 20 iconic local and international beer, cider, and RTD brands across New Zealand. The portfolio operates as a platform of distinct brands rather than a unified product, with core beer brands (DB Draught, Export, Tui, Monteith's, Tuatara) supplemented by international imports (Heineken, Tiger, Kingfisher, Murphy's, Sol), cider brands (Redwood Cider Co., Orchard Thieves, Rekorderlig), and RTD products (Odd Company, Tui Vodka range, Good & Great). The company also operates experience sites including the Monteith's Experience in Greymouth and Brewtown Taproom in Upper Hutt. Recent product strategy emphasizes low-carb, low-sugar, and zero-alcohol innovations alongside traditional craft offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Barrel 51: Beer brand
• DB Draught
• Double Brown
• Export
• Flame
• Heineken
• Kingfisher
• Monteith's
• Murphy's
• Odd Company
• Old Mout
• Orchard Thieves
• Rekorderlig
• Sol
• Tiger
• Tuatara
• Tui

Products and services

• DB Draught Iconic New Zealand mainstream beer brand, one of DB's largest and most recognised products, brewed at the Timaru brewery and sold across retail and hospitality channels.
• Export

Quantifiable outcome

• 20% water consumption reduction at Timaru brewery (2023-2025)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• Star HospitalitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023In 2023, DB combined Wellington-based Kāpura with its Auckland-based Joylab Hospitality Group to form Star Hospitality - New Zealand's largest hospitality group. DB is the majority shareholder of Star Hospitality, which operates over 50 bars, restaurants and gastropubs across the North Island.
• Mighty CraftminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 July 2022Agreement between DB Breweries, Mighty Craft and Better Beer to distribute Better Beer Zero Carb Lager in New Zealand. Better Beer was launched in Australia as a collaboration with Matt Ford and Jack Steele from The Inspired Unemployed.
• The Inspired UnemployedminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2022Matt Ford and Jack Steele from The Inspired Unemployed (popular satirical Instagram account with over 1 million followers) collaborated with Better Beer on the brand's creation. Better Beer Zero Carb is distributed in NZ by DB Breweries.
• HEINEKENflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2013In November 2013, HEINEKEN acquired DB's parent company Asia Pacific Breweries in one of the largest acquisitions in the brewing industry. HEINEKEN is the second-largest brewer in the world with over 80 operating companies across 70+ countries selling more than 170 brands. DB operates as the New Zealand operating company under HEINEKEN's global structure.
• RekorderligcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerDB has a licensing agreement to produce and distribute Rekorderlig cider in New Zealand. The agreement has been renewed multiple times, with the most recent renewal announced in 2025.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Lion: Lion is NZ's other major brewer and the most direct competitor to DB, owned by Japan's Kirin. It produces Steinlager, Speight's, Lion Red, James Squire and other mainstream/craft brands across NZ breweries, competing head-to-head in on-premise and off-premise channels.

Broad incumbents

• HEINEKEN: DB's parent company and the world's second-largest brewer operating 170+ brands across 70+ countries. HEINEKEN is the broader incumbent within which DB sits — comparable as a global brewing platform and source of brand portfolio (Heineken, Tiger, Sol) that DB distributes in NZ.
• Carlsberg Group: Global #3 brewer and HEINEKEN's closest large-scale peer. Comparable as a multi-region brewing platform with broad brand portfolios, premium/international brand strategies and similar exposure to low/no-alcohol category development.
• AB InBev: World's largest brewer (Budweiser, Stella Artois, Corona). A broad incumbent comparable on scale, global brand portfolio strategy and exposure to mainstream-vs-craft competitive dynamics, though operating in different geographies.
• Pernod Ricard: Global #2 spirits group and a significant player in the RTD category. DB's sales leadership previously led Pernod Ricard NZ, and DB competes with Pernod's RTD and cider offerings — making Pernod Ricard a comparable FMCG/beverage incumbent at the broader category level.
• Kirin Holdings: Parent of Lion NZ and a global brewing/beverages conglomerate. Comparable as the parent-level strategic owner of DB's chief NZ competitor, with similar portfolio integration dynamics and Asia-Pacific distribution ambitions.

Regional players

• Asahi Beverages: Asahi Beverages operates across Australia and NZ with beer and cider brands (Asahi, Solo, Woodstock). It is a regional peer competing with DB for Australian and Pacific shelf space, with overlapping RTD and cider portfolios.

Emerging players

• Garage Project: Award-winning Wellington-based NZ craft brewery. Comparable as a NZ craft and packaged-beer competitor pushing innovation in hazy IPAs, lagers and limited releases — taking share from DB's Monteith's and Tuatara brands in the premium/craft segment.
• Parrotdog: Wellington craft brewery with a strong NZ on-premise and off-premise presence. Comparable as a craft competitor targeting the same younger, design-conscious drinkers that DB's Tuatara and Monteith's brands target.
• 8 Wired Brewing: NZ craft brewery known for IPAs and barrel-aged beers. Comparable as a domestic craft innovator competing for taproom and supermarket shelf space against DB's craft brands.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DB Breweries