Greenfield brewery in Vietnam

Here, in the province of Ha Tinh in north-central Vietnam, half an hour’s drive from the city of Vinh, the gently rolling Hong Linh mountains rise from the landscape. It’s hard to believe that this spot, where the Savabeco brewery nestles against the side of a lush green hill, was the site of an abandoned quarry just five years ago. When the company was founded in 2019, they really were starting from scratch. They had no products and no brewery. What they did have was an ambitious vision. Savabeco set out to bring a strong local brand to Vietnam’s beer sector, which had been dominated by international companies. “Beers from Vietnam for Vietnam – high quality, at affordable prices,” is how the company’s founder Pham Hoanh Son explains his mission.

In order to make this idea reality, Savabeco began building a new brewery from the ground up in Ha Tinh. The question of where the company should source its production equipment was quickly answered, says General Director Hoang Lam Hoa. “We wanted our technology to come from the world’s market leader. That’s why we chose Krones.”  

From initial contact to a finalized contract in just three months’ time  

With more than 30 years of experience in the field of beer production, Hoang Lam Hoa knows the business. He started his career in the bottling hall of a big brewery and then went on to study brewing in Germany. After he returned to Vietnam, he continued his career in various management positions – until he finally took over as General Director of Savabeco. All along the way, he has worked with Krones technology. “This was my third turnkey project with Krones,” he says with a smile. 

So the decision-making process was a quick one. The initial inquiry reached Krones in April 2019. And just three months later, the contract had been finalized. It covered all of the technical equipment involved, from raw materials intake right through to palletizing the finished product.  

Two Krones Group companies were involved in implementing the greenfield project: Parent company Krones delivered the two filling and packaging lines for cans and bottles, while the beer experts at Steinecker handled the engineering, manufacture and installation of all process technology. That includes a brewing line dimensioned for 400 hectoliters plus the yeast cellar, 17 fermentation and maturation tanks in various sizes, a TwinFlow system for clarification and stabilization and bright-beer tanks.  

Flexibility to handle a broad assortment of products

“It was important to us that the brewery be up to the latest state of the art and that it would offer us a lot of flexibility for the long term, so we can produce a wide variety of recipes and beer styles,” explains Hoang Lam Hoa. Prescient words, as Savabeco’s current product range demonstrates: their portfolio now ranges from classic lager to low-alcohol variants right through to specialty beers.

The product range was intentionally developed to appeal to the broadest possible customer base. “Whether someone prefers a milder, traditionally balanced beer or a bold, intense one – we want to satisfy as many tastes as possible,” says Hoang Lam Hoa about the company’s strategy. “That’s why each of our beer products has its own very unique aroma profile.” But they also all have this in common: They’re all brewed in accordance with the German Purity Law and therefore contain just four ingredients – water, barley, hops and yeast. 

Lake water to brewing liquor  

Savabeco’s most important ingredient by volume is obtained right in the brewery’s own backyard. Literally. Just behind the brewhouse, a short access road leads to a slightly elevated plateau. Walk up the few meters from there, and you’ll be rewarded with quite a surprising sight: a shimmering deep green lake – idyllically framed by the montane forest with a small temple. The lake is fed by a natural spring that originates in the Hong Linh mountains, which makes it ideal for the water to be used in brewing. “The lake gives us many benefits at once,” explains Hoang Lam Hoa. “First, it ensures that we have top-quality water. And second, it makes us independent when it comes to water supply. That saves us quite a lot in terms of costs.” 

The water is piped directly from the lake into the brewery, where it is then made ready for use in the brewery. To that end, Krones delivered two identically equipped Hydronomic systems that run in parallel. The first stage is ultrafiltration using a technologically advanced membrane followed by further filtration using activated carbon. In order to keep the brewery reliably supplied with water, the entire system is dimensioned to handle 150 cubic meters of water per hour.  

Sustainability and regional responsibility 

Water isn’t the only factor for which Savabeco places a great deal of value on local sourcing and sustainability. The company generates its own green power as well, using a photovoltaic installation. The production processes are also optimized to minimize waste and maximize energy recovery. For procurement of materials, the company gives preference to local, Asian suppliers. “Sourcing regionally and fostering a close connection with our homeland are essential elements of our company philosophy,” explains founder Pham Hoanh Son. That is also reflected in the company’s engagement in social welfare projects. Whether it’s local trash cleanups, promoting charitable projects or sponsoring the Vietnamese soccer league, “We aim to give back to our local community,” says Pham Hoanh Son.  

Year-round production  

With an annual output of one million hectoliters, the brewery is already generously dimensioned for a newcomer to the beer business. But the strategy of providing local beer for the local market has been so well received by beer lovers in Vietnam that the company is already operating at capacity. Add to that the fact that Savabeco is gradually expanding the distribution of its products to other countries. Laos, Malaysia and the Philippines in particular have already become important markets.

Savabeco currently runs two Krones turnkey solutions: a canning line rated at 36,000 cans per hour and a glass line with a capacity of 24,000 bottles per hour. The two lines are set up in parallel and together they process 21 different product and format combinations. The lines operate around the clock – even in winter, as Hoang Lam Hoa points out: “Given the climate here in the North, breweries typically have a winter break – but not us!”  

A lasting partnership  

There’s no question for Savabeco’s General Director whether Krones will continue to be part of the company’s growth: “We need efficient, reliable technologies to support our growth. We have a very high quality standard – and we know from experience that Krones can meet it.” Krones demonstrated this most recently in the installation and commissioning of the two lines, which happened to fall in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, with the resulting travel restrictions, quarantine requirements and heightened hygiene measures. “The circumstances were not easy. So it was all the more important to have a supplier we could rely on 100 percent. Krones’ professionalism gave us a great deal of assurance,” says Hoang Lam Hoa. And he’s similarly confident about the partnership’s future: “No matter whether they’re from Germany or from the local team in Vietnam, we’re always glad to have Krones people here.”