glass bottle plant. Les Brasseries was the only provider of such bottles within Cameroon, so even its competitors relied on it for these. Les Brasseries enjoyed a monopoly on the Cameroonian market until 1982 when Nouvelles brasseries africaines (NOBRA) began production. In 1987, les Brasseries intensified its activities. However, la Crise, a nationwide recession, hit that same year, and les Brasseries du Cameroun struggled to remain profitable for the better part of the next decade. The company's multiple factories gave it a decisive edge over its competition by greatly easing distribution across the country. Even when SBAC was forced to close its Limbe brewery, it still had three plants. As Cameroon's economy recovered somewhat in 1995, les Brasseries recovered as well. This was partially due to increased utilisation of locally available materials such as maize instead of imported barley. By 1997, the company's financial situation was comparable to what it had been a decade earlier, although the number of bottles brewed was only about half of what it had been in 1987. Les Brasseries du Cameroun's parent company, BGI, was purchased by the Castel Group, a company better known for its wines, in 1990. By the end of the decade, les Brasseries had captured 70% of Cameroon's alcoholic beverage market and 80% of the soft drink market. In 1994, SABC figures indicated that the brewery had produced 207,500,000 L of beer and 56,000,000 L of soft drinks. References Bibliography Bennafla, Karine, and Calbérac, Yann (30 April 2003). "Repas camerounais". Cafés Géographiques. Retrieved 3 February 2006. "Interview de Mr. André Siaka, President & Manager". 15 November 2000. Retrieved 3 February 2006. Ndongo, R. D. Lebogo (19 July 2005). "Déploiement hors des frontières". Cameroon Tribune. Retrieved 3 February 2006. Ntiga, Léger (13 April 2005). "Heineken s'installe: La bière hollandaise est désormais embouteillée et comercialisée par les Brasseries du Cameroun ". Mutations Quotidien. Retrieved 3 February 2006. SKOL International. "Breweries List per country: Cameroon". Retrieved 3 February 2006. External links Les Brasseries du Cameroun official site (in French) Breweries of Africa Food and drink companies established in 1948 Coca-Cola bottlers Drink companies of Cameroon Companies based in Douala