An earlier brewing company, known as SKD Brewery (
Société des Khmere Distilleries) was commissioned by the
Cambodian government in the early 1960s and built by a French contractor with technical assistance from
France. The brewery was officially opened by HRH
Prince Sihanouk in 1965. The brewery building was designed by Cambodian architect
Vann Molyvann during the 'golden period' of
New Khmer Architecture. The main office building follows the distinctive 'dong raik' architectural design form in which the upper floor overhangs the ground floor by several metres, highlighted and reflected in the shape of the distinctive triangle supports in the facade.
Sihanoukville was chosen as the site for the brewery for the quality of the local water which supposedly had the ideal mineral content for brewing beer. The choice of Sihanoukville was not without controversy at the time due to the distance from the bottle manufacturing plant near
Phnom Penh. The brewery produced lager beer, marketed under the brand names Angkor Beer and Bayon Beer. The brewery's operations were disrupted when civil war broke out in the early 1970s and it closed in 1975. In 1991, Cambrew Ltd (a Malaysian company) assumed control of the brewery and after nine months of refurbishment, the brewery recommenced production in 1992. In 1992, Cambrew entered into a joint venture with
PepsiCo for bottling and distribution of soft drinks in Cambodia. In 2005, the
Carlsberg Group purchased a 50% holding in the brewery. Six years later, in 2011, the Angkor Extra Stout was awarded the Grand Gold award from
Monde Selection of
Belgium. Angkor Premium Beer won the Gold Medal at the Monde Selection in 2013. In 2018, Carlsberg increased its stake in the brewery to 75%. A year later, on 1 November 2019, Carlsberg acquired full ownership of the brewery. In an investigation published by Danwatch, allegations were made about Carlsberg’s operations in Cambodia. It said that young women selling beer were discouraged from taking part in trade union activities. The report included accounts from workers who said they lost days off, were given short-term contracts, and feared losing their jobs. According to trade union activist Chheng Kimyan, women who joined a union could lose their jobs or face pressure from their managers. Danwatch also described wider problems in this part of the market, including low pay, sexual harassment from customers, and insecure employment. In a response quoted by Danwatch, Carlsberg said it does not accept any attempts to stop workers from organising, and that taking away legal days off as a punishment would go against labour law and company policy. ==Beers==