AB InBev

AB InBev traces its brewing heritage to the origins of its brands: Leffe was first brewed at the Notre-Dame de Leffe abbey in present-day Belgium in 1240; the Den Hoorn brewery, now home to Stella Artois, was founded in Leuven, Belgium, in 1366; brewing began at the Spaten brewery in Munich, Germany, in 1397; and in 1445 monks in Hoegaarden discovered the recipe for wheat beer.⁠[1]

In 1847 Irish immigrant John Kinder Labatt opened his brewery in London, Ontario, Canada; in 1876 Adolphus Busch helped create the American-style lager Budweiser in St. Louis, Missouri, at the site that later became the Anheuser-Busch brewery. The Brazilian brewers Antarctica and Brahma were founded in 1885 and 1888; in 1890 Otto Bemberg set up a German-style brewery in Quilmes, Argentina; and in 1892 Charles Glass opened the Castle Brewery in Johannesburg, South Africa.⁠[1]

In 1900 the Harbin brewery opened in China; in 1925 Cervecería Modelo began brewing in Mexico City and introduced Corona; and in 1926 Brouwerij Artois introduced Stella Artois as a Christmas gift to the people of Leuven.⁠[1]

In 1987 Brouwerij Artois and Piedboeuf, the maker of Jupiler, merged to form Interbrew, which Labatt, Spaten and other brands later joined.⁠[1]

In 1998 Brahma and Antarctica of Brazil became Ambev, and local brewers in several Latin American countries joined the group.⁠[1]

In 2004 Interbrew and AmBev merged to create InBev.⁠[1]

In November 2008 InBev completed its acquisition of Anheuser-Busch of the United States, buying its shares for $70 each in cash, an aggregate of $52 billion, financed by $45 billion of debt financing and $9.8 billion of equity bridge financing from a group of lenders. InBev changed its name to Anheuser-Busch InBev and began trading under the symbol ABI on Euronext Brussels on November 20, 2008.⁠[2]

After the combination Anheuser-Busch kept its St. Louis headquarters, which also became the North American headquarters of the combined company; Carlos Brito became CEO of Anheuser-Busch InBev, and August A. Busch IV, former president and CEO of Anheuser-Busch, joined the combined company’s board. The company then managed more than 200 brands, with Budweiser, Stella Artois and Beck’s as its global flagship brands.⁠[2]

Brito said: “We are extremely pleased to announce the closing of this historic transaction.”⁠[2]

In 2013 Mexico’s Grupo Modelo became part of AB InBev, and in 2014 South Korea’s leading brewer, Oriental Brewery (OB), joined the AB InBev family.⁠[1]

On September 28, 2016 AB InBev’s shareholders approved all resolutions for the combination with SABMiller at a general meeting. AB InBev then had more than 200 beer brands and more than 150,000 employees in 26 countries, and its 2015 revenue was $43.6 billion.⁠[3]

On October 10, 2016 AB InBev announced the completion of its combination with SABMiller plc: Newbelco SA/NV, the holding company of the combined group, was renamed Anheuser-Busch InBev, the former Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV merged into Newbelco and was dissolved under Belgian law, and the former company’s shares were then delisted from Euronext Brussels, the Mexican stock exchange and the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. The combined group had well over 400 beer brands, about 200,000 employees in more than 50 countries and 2015 pro forma revenue of $55.5 billion.⁠[4]

On May 6, 2021 AB InBev’s board unanimously elected Michel Doukeris, president of the North America Zone, to succeed Carlos Brito as CEO effective July 1, 2021. Brito was stepping down after 15 years as CEO and 32 years at the company; Doukeris had held leadership roles in Brazil, China and the United States, serving as president of the Asia Pacific Zone, global chief sales officer and president of the North America Zone.⁠[5]

Doukeris said he was “honored and humbled by the opportunity to lead AB InBev.”⁠[5]

In February 2026 AB InBev published its 2025 results: revenue of $59.32 billion, down 0.8% in U.S. dollar terms and up 2.0% organically; volumes of about 561.1 million hectoliters, down 2.3% organically; normalized EBITDA of $21.223 billion, up 4.9% organically, with a 35.8% margin; and underlying earnings per share of $3.73. Net debt at the end of 2025 was $60.9 billion, or 2.87 times normalized EBITDA.⁠[6]

AB InBev has a primary listing on Euronext (ABI), secondary listings on the Mexican (ANB) and South African (ANH) stock exchanges, and American depositary receipts on the New York Stock Exchange (BUD). As of early 2026 it had approximately 137,000 colleagues in more than 40 countries and well over 400 beer brands, and it describes its brewing heritage as dating back more than 600 years.⁠[6]

AB InBev: Official website: https://www.ab-inbev.com/ (opens in a new window).⁠[1]

LinkedInLinkedInLinkedIn is a social networking platform for professionals. It was founded in 2002 by Reid Hoffman and others, launched in 2003, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2011; after Microsoft acquired it for approximately $26.2 billion in 2016, it became a wholly owned Microsoft subsidiary. Its revenue comes from membership subscriptions, advertising, and recruitment solutions.Open the full entry: Public profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ab-inbev/ (opens in a new window).⁠[1]

YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry: Public channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ABInBevNews (opens in a new window).⁠[1]