AB InBev has linked the performances of Michelob Ultra and Cutwater Spirits to the selection of a facility in New York as the latest to benefit from its US-wide investment programme.
A total of US$13m will be spent on upping capacity at Anheuser-Busch’s Baldwinsville Brewery in the north-eastern state. The US division of the brewing giant said the money will help to increase production of Michelob Ultra, which it claimed is “the number one top-selling and fastest-growing beer in America”, while the brand’s bottling and canning lines will also be upgraded.
“New production capabilities for Cutwater,” meanwhile, will “help meet rapidly growing demand for the number one spirits-based cocktail brand in the US,” the unit added.
Anheuser-Busch cited data from Circana as its source for the performance claims made for the two brands.
Today’s announcement is the latest regarding the unit’s ‘Brewing Futures’ funding stream. The initiative started with a $300m outlay in May last year, with the total being doubled to $600m 11 months later. Similar to June’s pledge of $20m for its facility in Missouri, Anheuser-Busch confirmed the creation of a new technical skills training centre at Baldwinsville that is designed to “upskill employees across mechanical, electrical, digital and operational areas”.
Fifteen such training centres are intended across the division’s nationwide estate.
In results from the second quarter of this year, announced by AB InBev at the end of last month, sales in the ‘North America’ reporting region were up by 2.6% on the corresponding three-month period a year earlier. The performance contributed to a +5.6% top-line showing for the group in Q2.
