"The Malta Export Brewery" was created when the first privately owned Maltese bank, established in 1840 by Giuseppe Scicluna, took over one of their client's operations in 1928. They were granted a temporary exclusive licence to manufacture lagers and from this take-over were born Malta's first Bavarian inspired beers, the 'Cisk Pilsner' and the 'Cisk Munchener'. The Malta Export Brewery eventually merged with Simonds Farsons Limited in 1948. This company had itself been formed in 1929 by the merger of the local brewing firm, L. Farrugia & Sons (alias 'Farsons') and the Maltese branch of the Simonds' Brewery based in Reading, Berkshire in the United Kingdom. The new company became Simonds Farsons Cisk Limited.