AB InBev acquired Hiball, a relatively small organic energy drink manufacturer. The company also has its own brand of sparkling waters and sodas.
Expansion of non-alcoholic portfolio
Hiball, founded by Todd Berard in California in 2005, currently employs about twenty people and generated a 40 million dollar (34.5 million euro) turnover last year. The acquisition fee remains under wraps.
Hiball’s drinks are organic in nature and contain caffeine but also organic energy supplements like guarana and ginseng. Alta Palla is its line of drinks with a low calorie and sugar count. “I believe we can help speed up their growth and introduce their drinks to more customers in more locations”, Anheuser-Busch CEO, João Castro Neves, said. Anheuser-Busch is AB InBev’s American division.
The acquisition is yet another expansion of AB InBev’s non-alcoholic product range. The goal is to grow the non-alcoholic volume share to 20 % by 2025 in order to attract an increasing group of consumers that do not or barely drink alcohol. Earlier this year, it also launched Jupiler 0,0, a non-alcoholic beer that quickly surpassed Jupiler NA’s success.
