The Asahi Group wants to expand its international market presence in the food and biotechnology sectors. To achieve this goal, Asahi Group Foods, Ltd, (Head office: Tokyo, Japan, hereinafter Asahi Group Foods) which is a subsidiary of Asahi Group Holdings, Ltd., has conducted a contract with the shareholders of Leiber GmbH (Head office: Bramsche, Germany, hereinafter Leiber), a brewer’s yeast-related products manufacturing and sales company with global operations, mainly in Europe, to transfer the shares on 5 March 2025. Under the agreement, Asahi Group Foods plans to acquire 100% of the shares of Leiber by the end of April 2025.

Leiber has an innovative product range in the field of yeast applications for the food, fermentation, and animal nutrition industries as well as for biotechnology. Leiber thus complements the expertise of the Asahi Group Foods in the yeast business sector and forms a central building block for its international expansion. As a medium-sized company, Leiber gains a strong partner who will invest in the expansion of research and development as well as production capacities. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price.

‘This transaction marks a new step for our company into the global yeast product market, particularly in Europe. We intend to combine Leiber’s excellent technological capabilities, sales network, and customer base with our strength to create value and to nurture this growth driver for Asahi Group,’ says Hiroshi Kawahara, CEO of Asahi Group Foods. ‘We are therefore looking forward to operating successfully together in the fast-growing yeast market in the long term.’

‘We are delighted to have found a competent, foresighted partner in Asahi, who recognises the strategic role that Leiber can play as a medium-sized brewer’s yeast specialist,’ says Bernd Schmidt-Ankum, Managing Director of Leiber GmbH. ‘As a third-generation family business, we have invested heavily in our innovative capacity in recent years – from research & development, sustainable energy and production capacities to market access. I look forward to working with Asahi and the existing team to help implement the future strategy and continue Leiber’s growth trajectory both nationally and internationally.’

About Asahi Group Holdings, Ltd.:

Asahi Group Holdings Ltd., is one of the five largest breweries in the world, with brands such as Asahi, Grolsch, Kozel, Peroni and Pilsner Urquell. In addition to beer, the group also produces spirits, soft drinks and food.

Asahi Group Holdings, Ltd. is a global leader offering a diverse collection of brands centered on beer, alcohol and non-alcohol beverages, and food. Our mission is to deliver on our great taste promise and bring more fun to life. Established in Japan in 1889, the Group has always been committed to innovation and quality. With a global presence primarily in Japan, Europe, Oceania, and Southeast Asia, we provide over 10 billion liters of beverages to consumers worldwide and generate revenues of over JPY 2.7 trillion annually. Headquartered in Japan, Asahi Group Holdings Ltd., is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (Prime Market: 2502.T).

About Asahi Group Foods, Ltd.:

Asahi Group Foods Ltd., was established in July 2015 to handle the food-related businesses of the Asahi Group. We launched operations in January 2016, by bringing together three existing Asahi Group companies, namely, Asahi Food and Healthcare, Wakodo and Amano Jitsugyo. We have inherited more than a century of history and tradition, including the pioneering technologies and long-selling brands of the original three companies. These include Japan’s first domestically produced baby formula, launched in 1917; EBIOS, launched in 1930; and Japan’s first freeze-dried miso soup with garnishes, launched in 1983. To further bolster our strengths in the healthcare businesses, we also welcomed Asahi Calpis Wellness on board in January 2021.

Our long-term vision is “Through our pursuit of “Delicious+”, we contribute to building healthy minds and bodies”. We’re working toward this vision to achieve the aims of the Asahi Group Philosophy. Through our wide range of delicious and distinctly unique products including confectionery, health foods, supplements, baby formula, baby foods, nursing foods and other nursing products, freeze-dried foods, and various food ingredients, including the yeast related products, we continue to be fully committed to solving societal issues and helping customers to develop healthy minds and bodies.

About Leiber GmbH:

Leiber GmbH refines brewer’s yeast into innovative product solutions for healthy nutrition, biotechnological and agricultural applications. Around 200 employees work in Research & Development, Technology & Production and Administration & Sales at the German headquarters in Bramsche. Another production plant is located in Krosniewice, Poland. Since 2024, the Spanish company ABN Aplicaciones Biológicas a la Nutrición SL in Madrid has also been part of Leiber. A total of around 290 people work for Leiber, whose product solutions are sold internationally to customers in the food, animal nutrition, neutraceuticals and biotechnology sectors.

The company was founded in 1954 by Franz Leiber and has been family-owned ever since. As a brewer’s yeast specialist, Leiber has been practicing sustainable and reliable upcycling at world market level for seven decades.