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Anheuser Busch acquires Italy’s Birra del Borgo

Anheuser Busch has reached terms to acquire Italy’s Birra del Borgo, making the large Italian brewery the second craft brewery acquired by A-B Inbev this year (Devil’s Backbone was the first earlier in April).

Founded in 2005 by Leonardo Di Vincenzo, the Borgorose, Italy based brewery is one of the most widely distributed Italian craft brewers and has collaborated with other well known breweries such as Dogfish Head (with My Antonia) and Cantillon (in lambic blending with Duchessic).

Di Vincenzo will retain his position and decision-making capacity after the acquisition and has termed the deal a “partnership” rather than a “purchase” or a “takeover”:

“Our voyage since we started in 2005 has been a great adventure. Today the beer sector has become very competitive and it necessary for us to make a next step to ensure that we can continue to evolve in terms of brewing techniques and in terms of the complexity and taste variation we can offer to consumers. We believe partnering with AB InBev is a great opportunity to do exactly that: it will allow Birra del Borgo to grow in a sustainable way while staying true to our unique identity and the philosophy that we have followed since the very beginning.

The partnership with AB InBev will bring us many advantages, from technological improvements and access to scientific research to the possibility to grow from a commercial point of view. Moreover, this partnership also means that we will be able to focus much more on what we enjoy most and do best: creating and experimenting with exciting new beers and pushing the boundaries of beer evolution in Italy.”

Birra del Borgo produces 10 beers in a year-round capacity and will continue to produce at their Borgorose facility.

Country Director Simon Wustenberg provided the explanation for why Birra del Borgo was a target for acquisition from Anheuser Busch:

“We have been very impressed by what Leonardo and his team have built since 2005. They have been at the forefront of redefining beer in Italy, bringing a unique mix of inspired innovation, quality and consistency. Leonardo’s vision for beer and his passion for brewing will be great inspirations to our whole team, and we’re very excited about partnering up and growing together. As a challenger on the Italian market, we have been successfully developing our business with a great portfolio of premium and specialty brands in the last few years. Today, that portfolio becomes even stronger with some of the best of ‘Made in Italy’.”

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. However, with this purchase, Birra del Borgo is now a fully owned subsidiary of A-B Inbev.

4 thoughts on “Anheuser Busch acquires Italy’s Birra del Borgo

  1. Blah, blah, next step, bullshit, bullshit, partnership, blah, bullshit, evolve, bullshit, staying true, herpa derpa, redefining craft beer. Overpriced bullshit. Good luck. I’m sure they will have success getting the beer ON the shelf. It’s getting people to walk out the door with it that is the problem.

    • you sir, are an idiot! this is a $30bn industry that is under supplied. Good luck with you natty light!

      • Are you calling me Natty Light? I have no clue what that means. I can only hope you’ve been drinking. Anyway, let’s do this… I’m hearing form more and more breweries that most markets are over supplied, noting that it is becoming more and more difficult to stand out on the over saturated shelves. Beer that sold great last year is now sitting on it’s hands. More and more distributors are cutting orders on things like seasonal 6pks due to lack of sell through because of over production. A lot of breweries are having trouble finding what will continuously sell outside of their market due to short attention span, the tidal wave of competition, and in my opinion, lack of quality, but that’s for another discussion. By the way, even if the industry were under supplied, Birra motherfuckin’ del Borgo is not the answer. So much of their beer sits on shelves across the country and rots. The two beers mentioned in this article are the only two worth occasionally paying the exorbitant prices for. Italian craft beer is in no way, or will it ever be, the future of craft beer. It’s pricy bullshit 99% of the time. Panil makes some decent sour beer that is ALMOST worth the price, Choccorubica is a good beer to drink once in a while if you make the salary of a neurosurgeon, but no one could give a fuck less about $15 bottles of Italian made “American IPA” that has been sitting on a shelf for two years (talking to you Toccalmatto). Brewfist also makes some really horrible beer at $30/6pk for a pale ale. Expensive beer is fine if people are getting a unique experience that can justify it, but giving me some fucked up gusher of a cardboard IPA ain’t it. I’m not really sure what I’m saying, as I have no idea what you were trying to say with your well thought out and informative post. I guess what I am saying is this:

        In ten years, I’ve never had a single person ask, “Where the fuck is your Birra del Borgo section?” Nor has it ever been followed by, “And do you have this by the case?”.

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