Diageo Adds €400 Million to Guinness Brewery in Ireland

Diageo said on Monday that it will invest an additional €400 million in a new Guinness brewery in County Kildare, expanding a major production site that is already under construction and deepening the company’s commitment to brewing in Ireland.

The work will begin this year at Littleconnell, near Newbridge, where Diageo is developing what it calls “Brewery 2” over the next three years. The new facility will be dedicated to Guinness and Guinness 0.0 and is expected to double the total capacity of the site. The investment comes on top of a separate €300 million project at the same location for a brewery that will make lagers and ales.

That first brewery at Littleconnell was officially opened on Monday by Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Diageo’s chief executive. Diageo said it was built in less than 18 months and runs on 100% renewable electricity. The company said the site supports 50 permanent jobs and produces beers including Rockshore, Harp and Smithwick’s, along with licensed brands such as Carlsberg.

Martin described the investment as “a powerful vote of confidence in Ireland and in our future as a world-leading, sustainable food and drink exporter.” He said the project would support skilled jobs, regional development and export growth while helping Ireland advance its climate goals through lower-carbon brewing methods.

Diageo said it has secured planning permission for the new Guinness facility. The company said the latest spending, together with work at St James’s Gate in Dublin and its packaging site in Belfast, will bring its total investment across the island of Ireland to nearly €1 billion between 2020 and 2029.

Dave Lewis, Diageo’s chief executive, said demand for Guinness and Guinness 0.0 was “surging.” He said the company was proud to unveil the new facility in County Kildare, which he called the birthplace of Arthur Guinness.