Sapporo Brewery, Japan's fourth-largest beer maker, is preparing to move some of its beer production from Canada to the United States after the US imposed a 50% tariff on beer imports from Canada. Rieko Shofu, Chief Strategy Officer, said the company will shift production of its non-alcoholic beer, currently made in Canada for the US market, to the US within the first half of 2027. The company is considering both purchasing or building a brewery on the US West Coast, as well as contracting with other producers. This production shift is part of a business restructuring following the company's struggles with underperforming acquisitions in North America. The company sold Stone Brewing in 2022 and closed Anchor Brewing in 2023. Sapporo aims to invest 30-40 billion yen (approximately 1.9-2.6 billion dollars) by 2030, including acquisitions, with a goal to increase operating profit from about 24 billion yen last year to 40 billion yen. It expects about 30% of profit to come from overseas operations. In addition to the US, Sapporo is expanding in Asia. In July, the company announced a joint venture with Carlsberg to expand in Southeast Asia, and it is also looking for investment opportunities in China and South Korea.
Carlsberg A/S BSapporo announced a joint venture with Carlsberg to expand in Southeast Asia, a concrete partnership for Carlsberg.
