Hansa Borg Bryggerier

Hansa Borg Bryggerier is a Norwegian brewing and beverage-distribution company formed in 1997 through the merger of Hansa Bryggeri and Borg Bryggerier. The business combines regional brewing heritage with a broader national distribution role, supplying beer, mineral water and soft drinks in Norway. Its ownership structure is closely associated with the Egenæss family, which controlled Borg Bryggerier from 1905 and retained approximately 75% ownership after the 1997 merger. Swedish brewer Spendrups Bryggeri AB and Danish brewer Royal Unibrew are also identified as principal owners. The company developed from a group of historically regional breweries into one of Norway’s largest beer and mineral-water manufacturers and marketers. Its production footprint has included facilities in Bergen, Sarpsborg, Kristiansand and Olden. These locations support a portfolio that blends locally established beer names with licensed international products. Core beer brands associated with the company include Hansa, Borg, Waldemars and CB, while Heineken and Clausthaler have been marketed under licence. The portfolio therefore spans mainstream lager, regional brands and non-alcoholic or alcohol-free beer offerings. A major expansion occurred in 1999, when Hansa Borg acquired Christianssands Bryggeri, commonly associated with the CB brand. The transaction strengthened the company’s position in Southern Norway and helped give it nationwide distribution for its principal beer brands. It also expanded control over important regional markets, including Hordaland, Østfold and Southern Norway. In 2005, Hansa Borg acquired Olden Brevatn, a bottled-water producer drawing water from a glacier-related source in Oldedalen. This broadened the company beyond brewing and reinforced its position in packaged beverages. Hansa Borg’s business model is consequently based on both manufacturing and distribution. Its beer operations rely on a mixture of owned or historically connected Norwegian brands and licensed international labels, while its non-alcoholic portfolio includes bottled water and soft drinks. In 2024, the company attempted to participate in Norway’s growing diet-soda market by becoming an official distributor of Faxe Kondi diet variants. The initiative was limited to the diet versions rather than the regular product, and the distribution effort was reported to have performed poorly amid competition from imported regular Faxe Kondi products. The episode illustrates the challenge of adapting a historically beer-led portfolio to changing soft-drink preferences. The company remains a significant Norwegian beverage producer with a regional operating base and national marketing ambitions. Its identity is closely linked to Hansa, Borg and CB, while its distribution activities and licensed brands allow it to serve a wider range of beverage categories.

Hansa Borg Bryggerier was established in 1997 when Hansa Bryggeri and Borg Bryggerier merged. The merger united two Norwegian brewing traditions and created a company with a broader geographic and commercial base. Borg had been owned by the Egenæss family since 1905, and that family remained the dominant owner after the combination, with approximately 75% control. Spendrups Bryggeri AB of Sweden and Royal Unibrew of Denmark are also identified as principal owners. Following its formation, Hansa Borg operated as both a brewer and a marketer of beverages. Its production network has included plants in Bergen, Sarpsborg, Kristiansand and Olden. The geographic spread reflected the company’s regional roots and its objective of distributing its brands beyond their original local markets. The company became Norway’s second-largest manufacturer and marketer of beer and mineral water, according to the referenced description. The first major post-merger expansion came in 1999, when Hansa Borg acquired Christianssands Bryggeri, known as CB. The acquisition added an important Southern Norwegian brewery and strengthened the company’s ability to distribute its principal beer brands nationally. It also consolidated positions in several regional markets, including Hordaland, Østfold and Southern Norway. The resulting portfolio included Hansa, Borg, Waldemars and CB beers, alongside Heineken and Clausthaler products marketed under licence. In 2005, Hansa Borg expanded into bottled water through the acquisition of Olden Brevatn. The company produced drinking water associated with Oldedalen and a glacier-water source, adding a non-alcoholic beverage business to the group’s established brewing activities. This acquisition helped make bottled and mineral water a meaningful part of the company’s stated business scope. The company’s later activity also included efforts to broaden its soft-drink distribution. In 2024, Hansa Borg became an official distributor of Faxe Kondi diet products in Norway. The initiative was directed at the country’s diet-soda market but was described as unsuccessful. The company distributed the diet variants rather than the regular variants, while regular Faxe Kondi was available through imports at retailers such as Normal. The diet product was also reportedly presented as the original version, creating additional market-positioning difficulties. Across its development, Hansa Borg has retained a distinctly Norwegian operating identity while combining regional brands, national distribution and selected international licences. Its history is defined by the 1997 merger, the 1999 CB acquisition, the 2005 Olden Brevatn acquisition and subsequent attempts to extend the portfolio beyond traditional beer and water categories.

1. 2024Faxe Kondi diet variants enter distribution

   Hansa Borg attempted to expand into Norway’s diet-soft-drink segment by distributing Faxe Kondi diet products.

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2. 2005Olden Brevatn is acquired

   Hansa Borg acquired Olden Brevatn, adding bottled drinking water sourced from the Oldedalen area to its beverage operations.

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3. 1999Christianssands Bryggeri is acquired

   The acquisition of Christianssands Bryggeri, associated with the CB brand, expanded Hansa Borg’s presence in Southern Norway and supported national distribution of its principal beer brands.

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4. 1997Hansa Borg Bryggerier is formed

   Hansa Bryggeri and Borg Bryggerier merged to create Hansa Borg Bryggerier AS.

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5. 1905Egenæss family ownership of Borg begins

   The Egenæss family began its long association with Borg Bryggerier and later became the controlling owner of Hansa Borg Bryggerier.

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A Norwegian regional-brewery group and beverage distributor combining established domestic beer brands, licensed international beer products, bottled water and soft drinks.

• HansaBeer

  Hansa is one of the company’s principal Norwegian beer brands and forms part of the portfolio inherited from the Hansa brewing tradition. It is marketed alongside other domestic labels and contributes to Hansa Borg’s national beer-distribution strategy.

• BorgBeer

  Borg is a core beer brand connected to the brewery tradition that preceded the 1997 merger. Its historical association with the Egenæss family and Borg Bryggerier makes it one of Hansa Borg’s foundational domestic labels.

• WaldemarsBeer

  Waldemars is listed among Hansa Borg’s Norwegian beer brands. It forms part of the company’s regional and national beer portfolio, although the available reference material does not specify a detailed product range or launch history.

• CBBeer

  CB is the beer brand associated with Christianssands Bryggeri. After Hansa Borg acquired that brewery in 1999, CB became part of the group’s principal brand portfolio and strengthened its presence in Southern Norway.

• HeinekenLicensed beer

  Heineken products have been marketed by Hansa Borg under licence. The brand extends the company’s offering beyond its Norwegian-owned beer labels, although the available material does not specify the terms or duration of the licence.

• ClausthalerLicensed beer

  Clausthaler has been included in Hansa Borg’s licensed beer portfolio. Its presence gives the company an established international alcohol-free beer brand alongside its domestic brewing labels.

• OldenBottled water

  Olden is the bottled-water business associated with Olden Brevatn, acquired by Hansa Borg in 2005. The product is linked to drinking water from the Oldedalen area and broadens the company’s portfolio beyond alcoholic beverages.

• Faxe Kondi diet variantsSoft drinks2024

  Hansa Borg distributed diet variants of Faxe Kondi in Norway in 2024 as an attempt to enter the country’s diet-soft-drink trend. The initiative was reported to have struggled because regular variants entered the market through imports while Hansa Borg focused on the diet versions.

• 2024Attempted entry into the diet-soda segmentStrategy

  Norwegian demand for diet soft drinks was described as a market trend, creating an opportunity for a beer-led beverage company to expand its non-alcoholic portfolio.

  What changed. Hansa Borg became an official distributor of Faxe Kondi diet variants, but did not distribute the regular versions.

  Aftermath. The distribution effort reportedly flopped amid competition from imported regular products. The diet variant was also reportedly marketed as the original version.

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• 2005Acquisition of Olden BrevatnM&A

  Hansa Borg was expanding its beverage activities beyond beer into bottled and mineral water.

  What changed. The company acquired Olden Brevatn, a producer of drinking water from the Oldedalen area.

  Aftermath. The acquisition added bottled water to Hansa Borg’s manufacturing and marketing portfolio.

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• 1999Acquisition of Christianssands BryggeriM&A

  Hansa Borg sought to strengthen its regional brewery network and extend distribution of its major beer brands into Southern Norway.

  What changed. The company acquired Christianssands Bryggeri, associated with the CB beer brand.

  Aftermath. The transaction increased Hansa Borg’s presence in Southern Norway and supported nationwide distribution of its principal domestic beer brands.

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• 2024Hansa Borg entered the Faxe Kondi diet-soda distribution market

  Hansa Borg became an official distributor of Faxe Kondi diet variants in Norway as part of an attempt to participate in the country’s diet-soft-drink trend. The initiative reportedly underperformed because the company distributed only the diet versions while regular versions were available through imports, including at the Normal retail chain. The diet product was also reportedly marketed as the original version.

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1. Hansa Borg Bryggerier