Damm is making steady progress towards 2 billion euros in turnover. The Barcelona-based brewing group closed the 2022 financial year with a record turnover of 1,876 million, a figure that represents a 26% growth compared to the previous year and surpasses pre-pandemic levels. Despite the increase in sales, the rising cost of raw materials has penalized the company's results, which saw its net profit reduced by 16.4%, with earnings of 101 million. Profitability on sales stood at 5%, compared to 8% in 2021.
These results must be approved at the general shareholders' meeting that the group has called for next May 23, where other milestones of 2022 will be analyzed, such as the progress of the internationalization process thanks to the acquisition of the Eagle Brewery located in the English town of Bedford. Currently, more than 30% of the beverage business activity is already carried out in the foreign market, with 500 people working in the international area.
With a workforce of 5,577 people, Damm explains that despite the return to normality in the hospitality sector, the year 2022 was marked by the war in Ukraine, which led to "a generalized aggravation of tensions in the supply chain and a significant increase in the prices of energy, raw materials, packaging materials, as well as logistical costs." This situation has impacted its results, but the group points out that it has been partially mitigated "thanks to the efforts and investments made for the constant improvement of the efficiency and productivity of all its activity." In this regard, Damm assures that its objective has been "to avoid passing on cost increases to prices."
The Damm beverage division, which includes more than 25 beer and mineral water brands (Veri and Fuente Liviana), as well as the production of private label soft drinks (Font Salem) and milkshakes (Cacaolat), grew by 12%, with a total of 21.6 million hectoliters marketed. According to the company, the other business areas have also experienced "great performance": beverage distribution (DDI), catering (Rodilla and logistics (Pallex Iberia and Alfil Logistics).
Investment in renewable energies
The group chaired by Demetrio Carceller has 16 production and packaging centers that consume 100% green energy. In addition, thanks to cogeneration and trigeneration with biogas and photovoltaic energy, Damm currently uses 36% less energy to produce each hectoliter of beer compared to 15 years ago. Likewise, water consumption in factories has been reduced by 36% since 2008.
Currently, the company has an area of more than 32,000 square meters covered by photovoltaic panels, with a self-production of solar energy of 7.1 GWh. The goal for next year is to invest 3.6 million in installing 23,500 more square meters of solar panels at the El Prat de Llobregat factory and at the La Moravia, Murcia, Malaga and ZAL de Barcelona centers. In this sense, according to Damm, "it is expected that in 2023 more than half of all electricity consumed will be self-generated," a ratio that reaches 82% in the case of the main factory in El Prat de Llobregat.