INDIA – Belgium-based multinational brewer, AB InBev, has expressed interest to scale the production capacity of its plant in Mysuru with another ₹500 crores (US$60.8m).
The company appreciated the state for having the best Excise policy and a good industry-friendly atmosphere, attracting the company to make more investments in Karnataka.
With the expansion of this brewery, the company said, the State treasury would get an additional revenue of ₹200-300 crore (US$24.3- 36.4m), besides the creation of direct and indirect jobs.
AB InBev has manufacturing units in 150 countries, with a diverse portfolio of over 500 beer brands including global beer brands such as Budweiser, Corona, and Stella Artois, as well as brands such as Beck’s, Castle, Castle Light, Leffe, and Hoegaarden.
In November, the company said it expects India to be among the top three markets for Budweiser in the next three years, led by double-digit growth in the premium beer segment.
The company is also increasing the localization of its two other brands — Corona and Hoegaarden — operating in the premium segment and stopping imports in the coming years, said AB InBev President – India & South East Asia Kartikeya Sharma.
However, the company said beer will remain a core offering for AB InBev India, but will look to introduce India-specific innovations across beverage categories in the alcoholic and non-alcoholic segments.
The brewer introduced its foray into the Indian whiskey market with the launch of Magnum Double Barrel whiskey.
In India, AB InBev’s headquarters is located in Bengaluru, and the Mysuru unit has around 2,000 employees. Nearly 79 percent of the plant’s production energy is renewable.
The group is committed to reducing its CO2 emissions by up to 25% by 2025 and to achieving net zero in the entire value chain by 2040.
Using solar thermal energy for a wide range of processes gives breweries the opportunity for renewable heat at a stable energy price, enabling long-term reductions in fuel costs and CO2 emissions.
Also fostering sustainability efforts in other regions, Grupo Modelo, a large brewery in Mexico owned by AB InBev, has signed an agreement with Absolicon for the first solar heating installation in Mexico.
The first solar thermal installation at Grupo Modelo’s newest and most modern facility in Mexico, located in Apan, Hidalgo, is expected to begin in 2023 with the patented Absolicon T160 solar collector.
A preliminary study by Absolicon shows that the total potential for solar thermal installations at the facilities in Mexico exceeds 180,000 square meters. Of this, the total potential at the Apan facility is approximately 15,000 square meters.
Initially, a 660 square meters solar collector field will be set up and, after an evaluation period, the solar thermal plant will be the basis for defining the scope and detailed design of any future expansion.
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