TOKYO -- Japanese beverage giant Kirin Holdings has won approval from employee-shareholders of U.S.-based New Belgium Brewing to acquire the independent craft brewery, Nikkei learned on Wednesday.
New Belgium's employees, who own 100% of the independent Colorado brewer, were under pressure from human rights groups to reject the deal because of Kirin's acquisition of Myanmar Brewery in 2015 and its links to Myanmar Economic Holdings Ltd. (MEHL), a military conglomerate.
