Online Reporter
Tapiwanashe Mangwiro
Senior Business Reporter
Delta Beverages says it is fully prepared for the festive season surge, assuring consumers across the country that supply will remain steady despite isolated shortages of preferred beer brands in a few provinces.
The commitment came during a high-level beverage industry tour led by Industry and Commerce Minister Mangaliso Ndlovu, who visited Varun and Delta operations to assess operations.
With Christmas typically stretching beverage supply chains as social gatherings multiply, some retailers had begun reporting early gaps in the availability of certain lagers.
Delta executives, however, insisted there was no widespread shortage, only brand-specific mismatches that occur when consumer preferences lean heavily towards a few fast-moving products.
Delta’s executive director of finance, Alex Makamure, told this publication that the group has strengthened plant performance, expanded brewing capacity and optimised its production mix in anticipation of the December rush.
“The festive season is usually a tight place for us in terms of supply. I hear some provinces are already citing that there are some shortages in lager beers, but you saw our factories running smoothly and we will supply every corner of the country,” he said.
Mr Makamure stressed that the company was confident its output could handle national demand.
“Yes, there might be some kind of mismatch here and there. But generally, we think we have enough capacity to meet the demand that we are seeing. In some cases, the complaints are not about the overall supply,” he explained.
He added that scarcity in certain areas reflected consumer choice rather than system-wide constraints.
“It might be a shortage of a particular brand. Some people favour the ‘headmaster’ (quart), the Carling Black Label, and we might be running more of it. But there are a few customers that want the other brand,” he said. “So, overall we believe that we will be able to supply the market.”
During the tour, Delta revealed that Black Label accounts for about 50 percent of all lager sales, with Castle Lager contributing about 30 percent, while the remaining percentage comprises Zambezi Lager, Pilsener, Lion Lager and other lines.
The company said this breakdown helps it fine-tune production schedules during periods of heightened demand.
Minister Ndlovu said he was impressed by the state of the factories and commended the beverage sector for maintaining high operational standards. He emphasised that the industry’s ability to meet festive season demand was important for commerce, tourism, and employment.
Delta’s confidence heading into Christmas is anchored on a strong half-year 2026 performance, particularly in its core lager business.
The company reported that lager beer volumes grew by 21 percent for the half-year compared to the previous year. Management said the growth mirrors strong national demand supported by firmer consumer incomes and stable pricing.
The group highlighted that current output continues to surpass historical daily sales rates, reinforcing the structural recovery of lager consumption across the country.
To keep pace with demand, Delta is pushing ahead with interventions to bolster production capacity. These include installing new brewing and storage vessels, upgrading filtration systems at the Southerton Brewery, and replacing the brewhouse at the Belmont Brewery, all aimed at reducing mismatches between high-demand brands and available packs.
Delta noted that continuous brand activation has also supported this momentum, citing events such as the Castle Tankard, Castle Lager Premier Soccer League, and the 10th anniversary Castle Lager Braai celebrations, which were held at Glamis Stadium in October.
With these numbers and investments behind it, Delta says it enters the festive season fully equipped to keep shelves stocked throughout the holidays.
