San Miguel to pump $2M-$8M into Vietnam beer plant

Food and beverage giant San Miguel Corp. is planning to pour in anywhere between $2 million to $8 million this year to improve the capacity of its plant in Vietnam. Benjamin Aton Jr., assistant vice president for the special projects international of San Miguel Beer Division of San Miguel, told reporters on Thursday that the company is looking to boost its capacity to produce from a present volume of 200,000 hectoliters to 500,000 hectoliters. The plant in Vietnam, located in the Dong Nai province, produces San Miguel's Pale Pilsen and Lite beer brands. Aton also said that San Miguel is also looking to introduce a low-end beer to the Vietnamese market. “The Vietnamese are fond of celebrating. They start drinking beer at about 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. We might introduce Gold Eagle to the market," he said. Besides Vietnam, San Miguel has also expanded in Thailand, China, Australia, Malaysia and Indonesia. - Cheryl Arcibal, GMANews.TV