The US division of AB InBev has announced a US$1.5m investment for the main production facility of its Cutwater Spirits RTD business in the country.
The funding, for Cutwater’s headquarters, production hub and innovation centre in San Diego, California, will be used to increase the cream-based cocktail production capacity at the 50,000sqft (4,646sqm) site. This week’s announcement builds on the $5m in “recent investments” for the RTD’s broader manufacturing network, Anheuser-Busch said.
According to the US unit, Cutwater, which it acquired seven years ago, is the “leading spirits-based cocktail brand” in the US and “more than 4.5 times larger than its nearest competitor”.
“This investment allows us to expand production to help meet rapidly growing demand for the number-one spirits-based cocktail brand in the US while also creating new manufacturing opportunities in Southern California,” said Anheuser-Busch’s ‘beyond beer’ president, Jake Kirsch.
Underlining the importance of cream-based liqueurs to the brand, Anheuser-Busch also revealed it will launch a new limited-edition Gingerbread White Russian variant from Cutwater in time for the festive season.
Almost exactly a year ago, AB InBev – again through Anheuser-Busch – spent “up to” US$490m on an 85% holding in cartooned RTD brand Beatbox to sit alongside Cutwater in the US.
