Established as one of the oldest beverage and alcohol companies in Nigeria, Guinness started in the country as a trading company in 1950, importing Guinness Stout from Dublin.
The company has since transitioned into a full-manufacturing operation, brewing, packaging, marketing, and selling a wide range of beers, malt-based drinks, ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages, and spirits.
By 1963, the first Guinness brewery outside of Ireland and Great Britain was built in Nigeria, and the first bottle of Guinness Foreign Extra Stout in the country was brewed on the 30th of November 1963.
The company got listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange in 1965, and it has continued to be a major part of the inspiring long history of the Guinness brand globally. The company built a second brewery in Benin to produce Harp Lager in 1974, with a third brewery also in Benin for Guinness Stout by 1978.
By 1982, the company had built its fourth brewery in Ogba, Lagos, to produce Harp Lager and later Guinness Stout. In 2004, it commissioned another brewery in Aba.
Guinness Nigeria started investing in the farming of maize and sorghum in the country to replace imported barley in 1986.
In 1997, the company became a subsidiary of Diageo Plc, giving it access to the latter’s range of global brands and technical support. This also gave the company the rights to import, market, distribute, and locally manufacture various Diageo-owned international brands.
Diageo sold its shareholding in Guinness Nigeria to Tolaram in 2024.
