After emigrating to America at just 15 from his village in As Pontes, A Coruña, José María Rivera Corral returns to Galicia with new savings and great ideas. Among them, a somewhat exotic one for the time, a brewery and ice factory. José María baptizes it La Estrella de Galicia ("The Star of Galicia,”) thus recalling what was his business in Veracruz, Estrella de Oro (The Gold Star). That same year, Ramón y Cajal is awarded the Nobel Prize and Aguas de Cabreiroá is founded.

The outbreak of the First World War caused hop supply issues. José María Rivera Corral promotes the research necessary to grow his own hops in Galicia. A pioneering initiative also in Spain.

The founder’s son completes his commercial training in Hamburg and is one of the first Spaniards to obtain the diploma of Master Brewer. With the second generation, machines enter the manufacturing processes, a decision that is faced in difficult times but that will be key for the future. For this, a cooking room, fermentation vats and metal tanks are acquired to store the beer. These changes make it possible to meet the increases in demand resulting from a process of gradual popular acceptance. But the world is on the brink of war and business suffers its effects with plummeting production.

After the general standstill produced by the Spanish Civil War and the II World War between 1936 and 1950, the company enjoys a period of stability in accordance with the new world order. Beer begins to be part of the daily life of Spaniards. Demand grows and therefore most of the production processes are automated, from production to bottling. The Spanish Society for the Promotion of Hops is founded with headquarters in Betanzos, the national epicentre of the cultivation of this raw material for the beer sector.

Estrella Galicia continues its rise in the sixties, and production reaches ten million litres. The third generation of the Rivera family makes important decisions that make it quite clear the need to build a brewery with greater capacity. In 1967 the decision is made to acquire land in the industrial estate of La Grela (A Coruña). At the end of 1968 construction work begins on the new brewery. The new facilities are inaugurated in 1972, when the first brewing of the new Estrella Galicia Especial Rivera beer takes place. In the old factory of Cuatro Caminos (A Coruña) an emblematic bar is kept, in which today almost two million beers are served a year. In 1979 the can format was added for the first time, a clearly differentiated beer packaging method that was added to the traditional bottle and keg.

In the 80s, the offer of products and formats is completed, in response to an increasingly demanding market. The commitment to the development of R+D leads to the production of the first “extra” beers in 1982, with a more careful presentation and high levels of quality that would force the introduction of fermentation and storage silos of truncated cone type. In 1988 the first non-alcoholic beer is launched under the brand Estrella Galicia Sin. Made based on the reverse osmosis dealcoholisation procedure, it began to be manufactured in small quantities until the early 90s when the production of non-alcoholic pressure beer was developed, which was presented in 30-litre barrels.

The fourth generation takes the reins of the company. A process of expansion in the national and international markets begins. The launch of new beers (1906, River and HR) with more attractive formats such as the longneck bottle or the screen-printed label, and the first diversification in the mineral water sector, with participation in Aguas de Cabreiroá (1994). In this period, Hijos de Rivera tackles new markets in the rest of Spain and Europe and takes the first steps in the United States and Mexico through agreements with local distributors. It is only the beginning of a process of expansion that reaches the present.

The new century is welcomed with the addition of new companies and brands to the business group. Cider, wine, liqueurs, must or sangria are incorporated into the company's portfolio through the acquisition of companies such as Sidrería Gallega in Chantada (Lugo) or the Ponte da Boga winery in the Ribeira Sacra (Ourense).

100
YEARS

CENTENARY
Hijos de Rivera celebrates its centenary, thanking consumers for their support throughout all those years. They have made it possible to maintain a firm commitment to modernity and innovation, preserving the character of a 100% family and Galician company, with deep roots and commitment to the land from which their products come.

An unstoppable national expansion begins and, in the international arena, Hijos de Rivera products reach more than 30 countries around the world. This commitment to foreign markets is consolidated with the creation of in-destination business models with subsidiaries in the Philippines, China, Japan, the United States and Brazil. These are years of recognition in which the company is selected to represent Spain at the Shanghai Expo, enters the Foro de Marcas Renombradas and its products receive a multitude of awards at home and abroad. These are years of avant-garde proposals such as Magma de Cabreiroá or La Tita Rivera; Agua de Cuevas joins the family and the dry cider Maeloc; the beer portfolio expands with Estrella Galicia Light and with seasonal beers like Estrella Xacobeo and Estrella Galicia Selección. The distribution network is consolidated with companies at strategic points and the Made-to-Order concept is launched with CustomDrinks, offering a personalization service of products and formats tailored to each client.

UNSTOPPABLE
NATIONAL EXPANSION

In recent years we have continued to expand our facilities to respond to a growing demand. We brought the Beer Culture concept to our clients and consumers, and created our own temple for them, Mundo Estrella Galicia. We acquired the Fontarel spring, in Granada, and we allied ourselves with strategic partners that can help us to grow true to our essence by participating in the Irish brewery O’Hara’s and in the Portuguese brewery Nortada.

We dream on wheels We have supported young talents of Motorcycling from their early days, such as the Marquez brothers, and Formula 1, such as Carlos Sainz Junior, and we have fulfilled dreams at their side.

We are nonconformists and that is why we developed our Postive Impact plan based on 4 pillars: Origin, People, Allies and Planet. We transfer the circular economy to our entire value chain and renew all our packaging to make it more sustainable. We also adhere to the United Nations Global Compact and are committed to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

We look to the future with enthusiasm and in 2022 we started the construction of our second brewery in A Coruña, in the Morás Industrial Estate, Arteixo. At the same time we further expand our borders to open new international subsidiaries such as Estrella Galicia Mexico.