Baldwinsville-area brewery to benefit from Anheuser-Busch’s planned $1 billion in plant investments

LYSANDER, N.Y. — Its plant on Route 31 in the town of Lysander will benefit as Anheuser-Busch, the largest brewer in the U.S., plans to invest more than $1 billion over the next two years in its facilities.

The effort seeks to “drive economic prosperity in communities across the U.S., further fortify its operations, and strengthen its connections with consumers,” Anheuser-Busch said in a news release on the firm’s website.

The “commitment comes at a time when the country begins looking forward to recovering from the job losses and economic downturn resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic,” the brewer added.

In 2021, close to $400 million will go to its 12 major Anheuser-Busch breweries, including the Baldwinsville–area facility, Kaitlin Craig, director of corporate communications at Anheuser-Busch, tells CNYBJ in an email.

“Major projects” this year will include more than $50 million for new brewing capabilities, over $100 million for new can lines, and investments in more than 20 states, highlighted by Georgia, California, Missouri, and New York, per Craig’s email.

The company will also spend nearly $100 million on sustainability projects including solar-panel installments, water treatment, and other initiatives over the next two years.

The capital-expenditure program across 26 states will expand Anheuser-Busch’s U.S. operations, support ongoing industry job creation and retention, “stimulate” economies in communities across the country, and “enable sustainable innovations,” the company said.

The announcement “represents the next phase in a period of extensive, ongoing” investment by Anheuser-Busch, which totals almost $6 billion over the last decade, the brewer noted.

“Anheuser-Busch and our brands have always been there for the times that matter, and it matters now,” Michel Doukeris, CEO of Anheuser-Busch, said. “Right now, our big dream is the recovery of our country. It’s the reopening of our neighborhood restaurants and bars, it’s cheering on our favorite teams and gathering together in person. We are here to find a better way to lead a safe and strong recovery, and we’re starting by investing across our U.S. supply chain to protect the industry and the millions of people who rely on it for their livelihoods. These investments are immediate and happening now.”

Anheuser-Busch says it owns and operates more than 120 facilities across 27 states and employs more than 19,000 people. The beer industry in the U.S. creates more than 2.1 million jobs and generates more than $328 billion in economic activity each year.