Asahi’s acquires major US contract brewery to support North American expansion.

Asahi Europe & International (AEI), the international branch of Japan’s Asahi Group Holdings, announced on 5 January 2024 its acquisition of US-based Octopi Brewing, a leading contract beverage production and co-packing facility located in Waunakee, Wisconsin.

The purchase is a significant move to support Asahi’s global expansion plans for Asahi Super Dry, Japan’s most popular beer, which can now be brewed in the U.S. for the first time.

The addition of the North American production facility also offers Asahi better access to the the Canadian market. It will also provide sustainability benefits, helping to meet Asahi’s goal of become carbon neutral across its wider supply chain by 2050.

In the coming months, Octopi will be integrated into AEI’s U.S. subsidiary, Asahi Beer USA, and start production of Asahi Super Dry and Kozel for the North American marketplace, along with a wider portfolio of brands for distribution and sale in Canada.

According to a Nikkei Asia report, Asahi hopes to grow Super Dry sales volume by about 15% or more every year for the next six years which will require an aggressive push into the North American market, which currently makes up only about 7% of all Super Dry sales.

Octopi’s diversified beverage-making capabilities are well matched to a global brewing conglomerate with a broad range of products. Its production facility was custom-built in 2014 to produce a wide range of beverages, not only beer, but also other ready-to-drink products. It can accommodate multiple styles and sizes of bottles and cans for maximum flexibility.

Octopi’s output volume is already only 25% beer, with the rest made up of flavoured malt beverages, functional drinks, and hard seltzers. Given AEI’s stated goal to “accelerate premium growth beyond core lager, such as non-alcohol beer, RTDs [ready-to-drink beverages], and crafted beer,” Octopi’s expansive production capabilities will be very useful.