Who owns Unibroue?
Unibroue is owned by Sapporo (Japan, TSE: 2501).[1]
This ownership is reported in official statements but has not yet been matched to a regulatory filing.
Evidence: Sapporo Breweries Ltd. Medium-Term Management Plan (2027–30). Last checked .
Key facts
- Current owner
- Sapporo Breweries Ltd. reported
- Owner HQ
- 🇯🇵 Japan, Tokyo
- Origin
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- Category
- Beverages › Beer › Ale
- Parent ticker
- TSE: 2501
- Last verified
- · 1 sources
About Unibroue
Unibroue is a Quebec brewery of bottle-refermented specialty ales in the Belgian tradition, which its owner describes as the first brewery of its kind in North America. Sleeman Breweries bought Unibroue in 2004, before Sapporo agreed to buy Sleeman itself, and it now sits in the Sapporo group's Canadian portfolio alongside Sleeman, Okanagan Spring and Wild Rose.
Ownership timeline of Unibroue
Where Unibroue sits in Sapporo
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full Sapporo ownership tree →
See the full Sapporo brand portfolio (8) →
Other brands owned by Sapporo
Sapporo controls 8 brands on Brandtree, 8 of them in beverages.
Also in beverages
- Kireto Lemon
- Okanagan Spring (1985)
- Pokka
- Sapporo Draft Beer Kuro Label (1977)
- Sapporo Premium Beer
- Sleeman (1988)
- Yebisu (1890)
Other brands in ale, and who owns them
The 62 brands in ale on Brandtree belong to 32 owners. The largest is Duvel Moortgat, with 7; Sapporo has 2.
| Brand | Owner | Owner based in |
|---|---|---|
| Birrificio del Ducato | Duvel Moortgat | 🇧🇪 Belgium |
| Bishops Finger | Shepherd Neame | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
| Farsons Blue Label | Farsons | 🇲🇹 Malta |
| Lagunitas | Heineken | 🇳🇱 Netherlands |
| Franziskaner | AB InBev | 🇧🇪 Belgium |
| Avery Brewing Company | Mahou San Miguel | 🇪🇸 Spain |
| Fuller's London Pride | Asahi Group | 🇯🇵 Japan |
| Dogfish Head | Boston Beer | 🇺🇸 United States |
About the owner: Sapporo
Sapporo is a publicly listed company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, founded in 1876. Brandtree records 8 brands under its control, and it is listed as TSE: 2501.
Sapporo traces its beginnings to the Kaitakushi Brewery founded in Sapporo, Hokkaido in 1876. The listed company, formerly the pure holding company Sapporo Holdings, became a business holding company and changed its name to Sapporo Breweries Ltd. on 1 July 2026, with revenue of 506.9 billion yen in 2025. It is concentrating on alcoholic beverages: in December 2025 it agreed to sell its real estate subsidiary, owner of Yebisu Garden Place and Sapporo Factory, to a consortium of PAG and KKR in stages ending in 2029, and in April 2026 it agreed to transfer the Stone craft beer brand to Firestone Walker.
🇨🇦 Unibroue and other Canadian brands
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 179 brands that began in Canada. 46 of them (26%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country, Unibroue among them.
- Big 8 — Empire 🇨🇦
- Black Velvet — Heaven Hill 🇺🇸
- Canada Dry — Keurig Dr Pepper 🇺🇸
- Carling — Molson Coors 🇺🇸
- Crown Royal — Diageo 🇬🇧
- Fruité — Lassonde 🇨🇦
Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of Unibroue?
The parent company of Unibroue is Sapporo, a publicly listed company headquartered in Japan.
Is Unibroue Canadian or Japanese?
Unibroue originated in Canada, but it is owned today by Sapporo, which is headquartered in Japan. So Unibroue is a Canadian-origin brand under Japanese ownership.
Is Unibroue still owned by Sapporo?
Yes. As of 16 September 2026, Unibroue is still owned by Sapporo. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (1) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] Sapporo Breweries Ltd. Medium-Term Management Plan (2027–30) — Sapporo Breweries Ltd., Official document; retrieved 16 September 2026.
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