Eichbaum Brewery to Shut Down, 240 Jobs Lost

The Mannheim‑based Eichbaum Brewery, founded in 1679, entered insolvency proceedings in October 2025 and has been unable to secure a viable investor. The management announced that all remaining orders will be fulfilled by the end of September 2026 and that the brewery will be wound down in an orderly manner. Assets, including the production site on Käfertaler Straße, will be sold to satisfy creditors.

Around 240 employees are subject to immediate, plant‑closing dismissals, including roughly 30 workers who had agreed to a transfer‑company plan that now appears untenable. The trade union NGG has called for rapid negotiations on a social plan. The recent sale of the Karamalz brand to Veltins did not provide sufficient liquidity to rescue the company. Managing directors Uwe Aichele and Frank Reiel said the step was unavoidable, and a court‑appointed insolvency administrator is overseeing the process.