E-Malt.com News article: USA, CO: AB InBev to invest $15.5 million in its Fort Collins brewery

Anheuser-Busch announced on May 22 a $15.5 million investment in its Fort Collins brewery, which will go toward upgrading its bottling lines from packed to bulk glass. Shifting away from packed glass allows Fort Collins to streamline production in-house, strengthening its supply chain, reducing emissions, and driving efficiencies across the business. The Fort Collins brewery’s enhanced bottling lines will be fully operational by Summer 2024.

“Investing in the communities where our people live and work is part of who we are,” said Brendan Whitworth, CEO of Anheuser-Busch. “This investment in our Fort Collins brewery not only drives efficiencies for our business and improves the capabilities of our facility, but it also puts Anheuser-Busch in a unique position to build on our industry-leading support for our employees with on-the-job education and growth opportunities for our frontline workers.”

“Transforming our bottling line from a packed glass to bulk glass system enables us to be more efficient with our brewery’s beer production,” said Tim Seitz, General Manager, Anheuser-Busch Fort Collins Brewery. “Enhancing our brewery’s infrastructure also builds on our capabilities as a brewer and gives our employees the opportunity to develop new technical skillsets and personally contribute to the innovation and growth of the company.”

Over the past 5 years, Anheuser-Busch has invested nearly $2 billion in its facilities across the country to help drive economic prosperity in the communities where it operates and its employees call home. The brewer’s ongoing investments ensure the long-term growth and viability of their facilities, with expenditures adding unique capabilities, improving efficiencies and outputs, and funding additional infrastructure projects. Across the United States, Anheuser-Busch operates more than 120 facilities, including flagship and regional craft breweries and agricultural facilities across 24 states.

“Anheuser-Busch is a long-standing community partner, and I’m pleased that they're making this investment in their Fort Collins brewery,” said Jeni Ardnt, Mayor of Fort Collins. “In a state that values innovation and sustainability, we're excited to see Anheuser-Busch improving its capabilities in a way that reinforces their commitment to leaving a positive impact on the community and operating sustainably.”

In the state of Colorado, Anheuser-Busch employs more than 1,000 people, and an additional 600 work as part of the brewer’s independent distributor network. Anheuser-Busch’s work in Colorado creates more than $1.4B in capital investments, significantly contributing to the state’s economic growth.

The Fort Collins brewery is one of the two facilities that cans clean, safe drinking water for Anheuser-Busch's Emergency Drinking Water program. Since the inception of its emergency drinking water program in 1988, Anheuser-Busch and its wholesaler partners have worked alongside organizations including the American Red Cross (ARC) and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) to provide over 93 million cans of emergency drinking water to U.S. communities affected by natural disasters and other crises.


22 May, 2024