USA – AB-InBev’s venture capital arm, ZX Ventures is set to acquire the remaining stake in the American wine brand, Babe Wine, expanding its industry leading portfolio of wine brands.

AB-InBev, the world’s biggest brewer first acquired a minority stake in the company in 2018 through its growth and innovation group, ZX Ventures.

Babe Wine, formerly known as Swish Beverages and co-founded by Instagram influencer Josh Ostrovsky makes popular wine brands such as Rosé, Pinot Grigio and Red wine.

The deal provides AB InBev with an opportunity to grow in the canned wine category as millennial consumers turn to drinks with less alcohol content.

This further leverages AB InBev’s core capabilities to produce and distribute a portfolio of beverages designed to keep up with evolving consumer tastes.

Babe Wine falls under the ZX Ventures portfolio, which is focused on small brands outside the core beer business.

“We pride ourselves on putting the consumer first and evolving with them through innovation and cultural engagement, and Babe Wine is in a class by itself when it comes to understanding their drinkers and building brand loyalty,” said Michel Doukeris, CEO, Anheuser-Busch.

“We’re looking forward to taking this partnership to the next level and using our distribution capabilities to share Babe’s great portfolio with more consumers around the country.”

To grow sales beyond its iconic beer brands such as Budweiser and Bud Light, the company has invested in brands like Drinkworks and Bon & Viv Spiked Seltzer.

In February, AB InBev acquired Cutwater Spirits, an alcohol and canned cocktail maker, joining the company wide Beyond Beer portfolio including canned cocktails, whiskey, Vodka, gin, rum, liqueur and mixers.

As part of the transaction, Babe Wine will continue to be led by Josh Ostrovsky, David Oliver Cohen and their senior leadership team.

“Anheuser-Busch pioneered the modern beverage landscape,” David Oliver Cohen, Co-Founder of Babe Wine said.

“We have a dream to make Babe into America’s #1 wine, and A-B has the vision, the capabilities, the people and the network to help us get there.”