Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) is back in the beer market after buying the maker of Fiji Bitter for $58 million.

The bottling company will buy the 89.6 per cent shareholding of the Fiji brewing business held by Foster’s, and make offers to acquire a remaining 10.4 per cent from minority shareholders, CCA said in a statement on Friday.

CCA will buy the Fiji and Samoa brewing operations from Anglo-South African brewer SABMiller, which acquired the business in its takeover of Foster’s in December 2011.

Up until the takeover, CCA and SABMiller each held a 50 per cent share in Pacific Beverages, a rival to Foster’s.

In handing over total control of Pacific Beverages to SAB Miller, CCA agreed to stay out of the Australian beer market until the end of 2013.

But it is allowed to brew beer in other markets.

CCA also has the right to acquire the Australian non-alcoholic beverages business that Foster’s sold to SABMiller, which includes Cascade ginger beer and Torquay mineral water.

“Discussions with SABMiller are continuing in relation to the potential acquisition by CCA of Foster’s Australian non-alcoholic beverage business,” CCA said on Friday.