In 2024, the alcoholic drinks industry in Angola witnessed a dynamic combination of health-led innovation, local entrepreneurship, and increased regulatory oversight. While inflationary pressures and rising production costs – particularly those linked to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine continued to challenge manufacturers, a growing number of companies embraced domestic sourcing and localisation to navigate the difficult landscape. Notably, the Angolan government maintained strong support for national production, with initiatives such as the “Made in Angola” seal helping reinforce consumer trust and interest in local brands.
In 2024, spirits remained the largest category within alcoholic drinks in Angola, supported by a broad product range that includes both locally produced and imported brands. Growth within spirits was driven by continuous innovation, with new flavours and packaging formats expanding consumer choice and brand appeal. Whisky and white spirits emerged as the most popular subcategories, buoyed by their modern image, attractive designs, and strong presence across mass media platforms. Alongside spirits, ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages held a prominent share of the alcoholic drinks market, gaining ground due to their affordability, accessibility, and resonance with younger consumers. Spirit-based RTDs maintained widespread appeal thanks to their close association with nightlife culture and social events. Both categories have benefitted from increased investment and a steady influx of new entrants – particularly national players – resulting in improved availability and product diversity across provinces.
Refriango and Castel Group remained the two leading companies in Angola’s alcoholic drinks industry in 2024, holding prominent positions across multiple categories, including beer, RTDs, cider, wines, and spirits. Refriango’s portfolio includes well-established brands such as Tigra, Jade, Smirnoff, Brava, Superbock, and Cristal, allowing the company to maintain strong visibility and consumer loyalty. Both companies have consistently invested in portfolio expansion and aggressive marketing strategies, leveraging high-reach platforms such as television, radio, and social media to reinforce brand awareness. Their broad category presence and ability to anticipate shifting consumer preferences have helped consolidate their market leadership. Refriango in particular has taken steps toward regional expansion, with the 2024 announcement of a major investment in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This new factory, valued at USD 75 million, is expected to begin operations in early 2025 and signals the company’s ambition to grow beyond Angola’s borders while reinforcing its manufacturing capabilities and economies of scale.
Food/drink/tobacco specialists remained the leading distribution channel for alcoholic drinks in Angola in 2024, followed closely by supermarkets and hypermarkets. Together, these two channels accounted for the vast majority of volume sales, reflecting the central role they play in providing accessible and affordable alcoholic drinks across the country. Food and drink specialists benefit from deep product knowledge, wide assortments, and consumer trust, particularly for spirits and beer. Supermarkets and hypermarkets – such as Candando and Kero – have further strengthened their position by offering aggressive promotions, regular availability, and national reach. The continued expansion of store networks into new provinces, especially those with high population density, has also contributed to stronger volume growth across these channels. The combination of competitive pricing, convenience, and strong visibility ensures that both specialist retailers and supermarkets remain the preferred purchasing locations for Angolan consumers.
Off-trade channels continued to account for the majority of alcoholic drinks sales in 2024, with an estimated 60:40 split in favour of off-trade over on-trade. The appeal of off-trade is driven by affordability, wider product availability, and the flexibility it offers consumers to enjoy drinks in their own time and setting. Supermarkets, hypermarkets, and food and drink specialists dominate off-trade sales, offering large volumes of stock across diverse product ranges. These channels benefit from Angola’s broad network of retail outlets, allowing consumers to access both food and beverage purchases in one location. On-trade, by contrast, tends to be more expensive, with a narrower selection of brands and limited consumption windows tied to operating hours. Nonetheless, bars and restaurants remain popular on-trade venues, particularly in urban areas, where they provide a variety of entertainment environments and attract consumers seeking social drinking experiences.
Volume sales of alcoholic drinks are set to rise steadily over the forecast period, driven by growing interest in products that incorporate national fruits and ingredients, as well as by rising demand for locally made, artisanal alcoholic drinks. This trend reflects a broader cultural shift among Angolan consumers, who increasingly seek both modernity and a stronger connection to local identity through product offerings. The emergence of premium artisanal spirits, often produced in small batches by micro-distilleries, is reshaping perceptions of local alcoholic drinks. At the same time, greater regulatory oversight is expected to reduce excessive alcohol consumption and mitigate the stigma often associated with drinking in public. However, industry growth will continue to face key challenges, including poor road infrastructure, high transportation costs, rising raw material prices, and the persistent presence of informal market alternatives. Despite these obstacles, the strong performance of spirits, RTDs and beer is expected to underpin positive growth, particularly as innovation and brand development accelerate across these categories.
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Alcoholic Drinks
Alcoholic drinks is the aggregation of beer, wine, spirits, cider/perry and RTDs.
See all of our definitionsThis report originates from Passport, our Alcoholic Drinks research and analysis database.
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