Anheuser-Busch InBev has invested in the production of its Cutwater spirits RTDs, a brand the brewing giant has said is enjoying rapid sales growth.
The company is spending $13m at its facility in Baldwinsville in New York state, part of which will also go towards the manufacturing of its Michelob Ultra beer brand.
The capital injection is part of the group’s plan to invest $300m across its US production this year. AB InBev also invested the same amount in its production sites in 2025.
In a statement, the Stella Artois brewer said the move is going to “add new production capabilities for Cutwater to help meet rapidly growing demand”.
The capital injection will also grow production of Michelob Ultra and “upgrade can and bottle lines”, the group said.
AB InBev’s CEO shared his confidence in the company’s position in spirits RTDs in the US last month.
In an earnings call on its first-half results in July, CEO Michel Doukeris said revenue from Cutwater, which AB InBev said was “the number-one share gaining brand in the total spirits industry”, grew at a “triple-digit” rate.
Doukeris was asked on the call by Goldman Sachs analyst Olivier Nikolai how the company judges “the risk of increased competition” to beer from spirits groups on RTDs in the US.
The CEO said his business, which produces spirits RTDs like Cutwater and Nütrl, was its main rival in the segment.
“We are the competition,” Doukeris said. “We are winning with consumers because we are providing a superior proposition. Not only with Cutwater but with Nütrl. Now we just acquired a great company, Beatbox, that’s going to bring more to this arena.”
As part of the latest investment in New York, AB InBev also plans to launch a technical skills training centre at the Baldwinsville facility, in order “to upskill” staff within areas such as mechanical, operational, and digital.
“AB InBev invests in New York Cutwater production” was originally created and published by Just Drinks, a GlobalData owned brand.