U.S. Commercial Momentum Fueled by Big Dreams at Anheuser-Busch

Yesterday our company released its 2020 full year results. I am very proud of the fact that in a year in which we all faced many unprecedented challenges, our business in the U.S. continues to build momentum and to generate and share superior value. In 2020 our U.S business delivered strong top-line and bottom-line growth and improved market share performance. We also reached a critical milestone in our 10-year journey: we led beer industry growth. Financial results are important, but in the end, they are only a consequence of who we are and what we do.  Like in most cases, our journey is far more interesting than our destination. Anheuser-Busch is a company that was built on big dreams, and that continues to be who we are today.

When in the 1860’s Adolphus Busch and Eberhard Anheuser teamed up and committed to brewing the country’s highest quality national lager beer, those two were dreaming big. When in the 1870’s A-B pioneered the use of refrigerated rail cars to transport pasteurized beverages, we were dreaming big. When in the 1920’s A-B adapted its business to produce non-alcohol malt beverages to survive Prohibition, we were dreaming big. When in the 1980’s A-B started pausing the brewing of beer to can emergency drinking water to help our communities hit by natural disasters, we were dreaming big (just last week we delivered more than one million cans of emergency drinking water across the State of Texas to support the communities that have been so devastated by storms and freezing temperatures).

These are just few examples of how dreaming big – and then bringing people together to turn those dreams into reality – is in our DNA. It’s who we are. We are owners, innovators, and transformers. Where others see roadblocks, we see opportunity and we relentlessly seek better ways to serve our communities, strengthen our industry and deliver to our consumers the highest quality beverages during the times that matter most. At A-B dreaming big is what connects us. It’s what attracts the talented and diverse colleagues that drive our business forward.

A little more than three years ago we defined a new big dream – to lead the growth of our industry once again. To be known not only for being the biggest brewer, but also for our obsession with satisfying consumers, growing through innovation, and firmly re-establishing our leadership position within the consumer packaged goods industry.

Along the way we have rebalanced our portfolio of products and brands to better serve consumers seeking more premium options while continuing to source the finest ingredients from family farmers right here in the U.S.  We are leveraging and integrating technology as never before. We have reprioritized our relationships with our stakeholders - our wholesalers, retailers, suppliers, community leaders and policy makers.  We have doubled down on our commitment to being the leader in responsible drinking and to leveraging our unique capabilities, reach and relationships to help create a cleaner and greener planet today and for generations to come. 

We recently announced that we plan to invest $1 billion in our facilities across the U.S. over the next two years. Yes, we talk about breweries and production lines but in reality, these are investments in people and in communities. Because job creation and economic prosperity are critical elements as we reunite, reopen, and recover in the months ahead. In fact our industry generates more than $300 million annually in economic impact and as the category leader we have a responsibility to not only drive our own business forward but to lift our entire industry.  We recently demonstrated that commitment on the world’s largest stage when we aired a Super Bowl advertisement called “Let’s Grab a Beer”  that was all about reminding people the special role that our products and our industry play in their lives. The ad touched a nerve all the way across America and was ranked #1 by AdWeek.

Big dreams like these are not achieved alone. Transformation, innovation, growth, category leadership, always finding a better way – these are things that take big dreams, but also take hard work to achieve.  Our progress and our momentum are due directly to the more than 19,000 passionate employees of Anheuser-Busch who I am proud to call my colleagues. Together, we find purpose in defining big dreams and making them a reality. It’s who we are.  We are proud of our history and our progress, we are once again leading the growth of our industry, but our journey is only just beginning.

Cheers to big dreams.