Anheuser-Busch to pump $30M in new money into First Coast brewing operations

One of America’s leading brewers is stepping up its financial commitment in North Florida.

Anheuser-Busch announced it’s investing another $30 million in the company’s Jacksonville brewery and can plant. The infusion of new funding will go toward an upgrade of the company’s brewing and packaging equipment at the company’s plant on the city’s Northside. The new money is designed to increase production at the plant that brews products such as staples as Michelob Ultra, Busch Light, Budweiser, Bud Light, Cutwater Spirits and other beverages.

“Investing in our Jacksonville facilities enables us to brew more of the highest-quality American beers that consumers love, including Michelob Ultra, the No. 1 top-selling and fastest-growing beer in America,” said Brendon Whitworth, CEO of Anheuser-Busch. “Investments like these are incredibly important because they help us to enhance our operations while also sustaining jobs and driving local economic growth in the communities where we operate.”

The increased cash into the Jacksonville operations is part of a larger $300 million infusion the company is making in its facilities across the U.S. The new investments are part of a program Anheuser-Busch officials are calling Brewing Futures that involve features such as creating and sustaining manufacturing jobs, advancing technical skills and enhancing career opportunities for military veterans.

The investment in the Jacksonville facility was seen as a welcome economic boost in the area.

“Anheuser-Busch’s announcement of a new $30 million investment to expand production at its Jacksonville facilities is excellent news for Northeast Florida. This kind of bold, forward-looking investment will create new jobs, provide more opportunities, boost our state’s economy, and further solidify our region as a cornerstone of American manufacturing,” said U.S. Rep. Aaron Bean, a Fernandina Beach Republican.

“Thanks to the Working Families Tax Cut, pro-growth investments like this are becoming more possible, empowering businesses to grow, workers to succeed, and communities to prosper.”

Florida House Speaker Pro Tempore Wyman Duggan, a Jacksonville Republican, said the cash going to upgrades to the Anheuser-Busch operations represent a boost to the First Coast workforce.

“By upgrading brewing and packaging capabilities with a $30 million investment, Anheuser‑Busch is helping position Jacksonville to grow its manufacturing sector and strengthen our workforce development in this area,” Duggan said. “We look forward to working together to turn this investment into a sustained opportunity for the hard-working people of Jacksonville.”

Anheuser-Busch has had brewing operations in Jacksonville since 1969.