Dive Brief:
- Anheuser-Busch is investing $9 million in its Baldwinsville, New York, brewery, the alcohol giant said in a statement.
- The money will support beer production at the facility while also expanding the brewery's capacity to produce Anheuser-Busch’s “Beyond Beer” offerings, including Nutrl Vodka Seltzer and Skimmers Vodka Iced Tea. Some of the investment also will be used for brewery equipment maintenance and for updates to the facility’s refrigeration units.
- Anheuser-Busch is spending $300 million on its U.S. facilities in 2025 after investing $2 billion during the past five years.
Dive Insight:
As consumer consumption and preferences of alcohol continue to evolve, Anheuser-Busch is spending to ensure it can keep up.
“Investments in our facilities like our Baldwinsville brewery help us to enhance our operations while also helping to create and sustain jobs and drive economic growth,” Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth said in a statement.
During its earnings call last week covering the first half of 2025, AB InBev CEO Michel Doukeris said its North American portfolio continued to build momentum and gain market share, led by Michelob Ultra, Busch Light, Cutwater and Nutrl. The company said U.S. sales to retailers decreased by 3.5% during the first six months of the year, outpacing the broader industry.
While Anheuser-Busch has announced investments in several plants this year, including facilities in North Carolina, Texas and Virginia, it also has closed at least one location.
In late March, Anheuser-Busch announced the shuttering of its brewery in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, which made Kona and Omission beers. The Portsmouth facility was previously owned by Cisco Brewing, which is a member of the Craft Brew Alliance, a conglomerate acquired fully by Anheuser-Busch in 2020 for $321 million.
In its earnings call, executives said they are tailoring their investments to focus on "megabrands," or those with the biggest market share. The company has around 50 megabrands globally, with net revenue of those products increasing by 5.2% in the first half of 2025.
