Craft breweries: João Pessoa's emerging scene

Brands like Philipeia, Primhordeum and Maledita have put João Pessoa on the map of Northeastern craft beer.

João Pessoa has been building its own craft beer scene in recent years. The oldest of the local brands is Philipeia, founded in 2016 by two friends with degrees in Industrial Chemical Engineering, with a name honoring the city's first given name — Filipeia. The brewery now defines itself as a beverage industry and claims to have surpassed 15 beer and draft styles in 2025.

Other brands reinforce this local production. Primhordeum presents itself as a craft brewery from João Pessoa in an expansion phase, while Cerveja Maledita, also born in Paraíba's capital, uses the slogan "drink less, drink better" and sells its labels with free shipping from the fourth unit onward.

There are also records of craft microbreweries such as Sanhauá Brew, a name that refers to the river that runs through the historic city, listed in specialized catalogs of Brazilian breweries.

This set of brands, still small compared to brewing hubs in other regions of the country, shows a growing movement of local production that is already competing for space in bars and gastronomic events in Paraíba's capital.