They say in Ambar beers that being small is more than a question of size. “Being small is a vocation,” says Sergio Elizalde, executive director of the Ágora Group, the company’s parent company. The brewery born in Zaragoza more than 125 years ago feels comfortable being the least big among the big ones. “We do not move comfortably in the world of industrial processes, standards, deficiencies, arrogance, superiority…, all these things,” says the chief executive. They seek to ride other winds and have their beer drunk beyond where the storm rages, but they want to do it on their own terms and without “thinking like the greats.” The company was born as La Zaragozana in the Aragonese capital in 1900 by a group of wealthy friends with influence in the region. Today, just under 100 million liters come out of its new factory – completed in 2020 and with double the production capacity of the original, already integrated into the urban landscape. “Our production compared to that of the large breweries in Spain that work very well is tiny,” says the executive director. In a mature and competitive market, with players that multiply their numbers by up to 12, the brewery hides behind its product, the 800 people behind each bottle and a philosophy linked to closeness, humility and innovation to defend its space. Half a century ago, Ambar became the first house to make a non-alcoholic one in Spain. It was followed by double zero, which is alcohol and gluten-free, in 2011 and, more recently, triple zero, which is also sugar-free. In addition, they boast of making their Ambar Especial with freshly ground hops. These last two labels are their crown jewels, leading sales of a catalog that includes around a dozen references. “Always going a little against the current, going a little on our own… I think that has been the constant trend and that, reflected in different things, is what has allowed us to get here,” says Elizalde. The Ambar are prophets in their land and an important part of the production stays at home: «We are very present in the Ebro valley. From the north, from Álava, Vitoria, etc., passing through Navarra, Logroño, Aragón, and ending in Catalonia and Valencia. That would be our predominant area of influence,» says Elizalde. Exports have a residual weight, although interest in their products is growing in countries such as England or Chile. “We are increasingly present in the rest of Spain, we are seen more, we are known and recognized more, and that is part of our challenge,” says the executive director about the national expansion. Consumption in the horeca (hotels, restaurants and cafes) and food channels is practically equal. “Maybe in our case it’s a little more at the bar,” Elizalde points out. They want to reach more stores, more refrigerators, to be where the consumer looks for them, but, they say, they have not set a specific quota to reach: «Our way of working does not move with these quantifiable parameters, it is more of a qualitative issue.»
A stagnant sector
The sector has had two years of slight declines and the recovery after the covid seems to have not completely crystallized. Sales, measured in hectoliters, decreased by 0.2% in 2024 compared to 2023, a year in which they decreased by 0.7% compared to the previous year, according to the employers’ association. Sales flows in the hospitality and food industry are going in opposite directions: leaving out the two worst years of the pandemic, the first registers its worst data since 2018, with 19.5 million hectoliters, and the second repeats the best, reached in 2022, with 19.1. In addition, beer has lost strength among national customers and its per capita consumption went from 55.5 liters in 2023 to 52.8 registered in 2024 and it was tourism that helped save the furniture. Special edition for the 125th anniversary of Ambar, an image provided by the company.AMBAR“The market in general is showing a slight fall. It is true that this must be included within a cycle, but there are things that should worry us,” says Elizalde about these statistics. The executive director talks about the change in habits of the “young and not so young” in a society that is increasingly articulated around screens. “This is going to destroy our way of life,” he explains about one of the main challenges that he predicts for the sector in the coming years. “This means that we don’t socialize, that we don’t relate.” It also points to the pocket as a factor to take into account. The decrease in disposable income and the inflationary environment make “the consumer be much more careful with their money and their spending.” Despite this, the numbers of the Ágora group, owner of Ambar and which has a distributor and other products, such as water or soft drinks, have been increasing. «We continue to grow. At our own pace, without aggression, without hysteria,» says Elizalde, who points to an increase of around 6% or 7% annually. In 2024 it had a turnover of around 242 million euros and, although they do not break down the figures by heading, they assure that the majority of the income, between 80% and 90%, comes from beer, a line that includes the brands Moritz, founded in Barcelona in 1856, and Marlen. “We have been experiencing this natural, organic and calm growth for several years and we do not believe it will change in the future,” he says. The business group is owned by the Roehrich family, the heirs of Louis Moritz – founder of the Catalan brewery that bears his surname – who in 1929 acquired the majority of the shares of La Zaragozana. “Family businesses think long term,” says Elizalde. «The main objective of the family business is to be here in 125 years. And that is why the decision-making is much more elaborate. It is much more solid,» he adds. For Ambar, he assures, every year is a challenge, and they face the future by serving a consumer who seeks flavor, health, sustainability, simplicity and surprise. «Having been making beer for 125 years does not guarantee that you can be there for 125 more years. Not one more year. Not two. The challenge is a daily challenge, to continue being there. And the most important thing to continue being there is to be able to continue doing things our way,» he concludes.
