JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Anheuser-Busch said it will invest $30 million in its Jacksonville brewery and can plant to upgrade brewing and packaging equipment and increase production of Michelob ULTRA.
The investment is part of the company’s Brewing Futures initiative, through which Anheuser-Busch said it invested more than $300 million in U.S. facilities in the past year to create and sustain American manufacturing jobs.
Recommended Videos
The initiative focuses on three areas: creating and sustaining manufacturing jobs, advancing technical skills training, and strengthening manufacturing career opportunities for veterans.
“Investing in our Jacksonville facilities enables us to brew more of the highest-quality American beers that consumers love, including Michelob ULTRA, the No. 1 top-selling and fastest-growing beer in America,” Brendan Whitworth, CEO of Anheuser-Busch, said in a statement. “Investments like these are incredibly important because they help us to enhance our operations while also sustaining jobs and driving local economic growth in the communities where we operate.”
The company said the funding will expand the Jacksonville brewery’s capacity for fast-growing beers such as Michelob ULTRA, including upgrades to bottling lines and brewing tanks. According to Circana, Michelob ULTRA is the No. 1 top-selling beer nationwide and in Florida; Nielsen also ranks the brand No. 1 in bars and restaurants across the state.
U.S. Rep. Aaron Bean, R-Fla., praised the investment, saying it will create jobs and boost the region’s economy.
“This kind of bold, forward-looking investment will create new jobs, provide more opportunities, boost our state’s economy, and further solidify our region as a cornerstone of American manufacturing,” he said.
Florida Speaker Pro Tempore Wyman Duggan, R-Jacksonville, said the upgrades will help grow Jacksonville’s manufacturing sector and strengthen workforce development.
“We look forward to working together to turn this investment into a sustained opportunity for the hard-working people of Jacksonville,” he said.
Anheuser-Busch opened its Jacksonville brewery in 1969 and its Metal Container Corporation facility in 2016. The company said it has invested more than $100 million in its Jacksonville operations since 2021 and nearly $2 billion across its roughly 100 U.S. facilities over the past five years.
Anheuser-Busch is the maker of Michelob ULTRA, Busch Light, Budweiser, Bud Light, Cutwater Spirits and NÜTRL Vodka Seltzer.