Anheuser-Busch.com is a company that sells alcoholic beverages for adults
Anheuser-Busch Companies
Anheuser-Busch Companies is one of the largest breweries in the world with a production of 157 million barrels of brew during 2006 apart from energy drinks and non alcoholic malt beverages. The Budweiser, Bud Light, Busch and Michelob are popular brands produced by this company. It also has a 35% stake in Mexico’s Grupo Modelo—the producer of Corona and Negra Modelo. The company is also well known for its Busch Entertainment theme parks.
History and Legend
Anheuser-Busch is a family run company since 1852. It was founded by Eberhard Anheuser, a soap manufacturer of St.Louis. He bought the brewery from a Bavarian immigrant. He saw potential in the company as the caverns near the Mississippi River were eminently suitable for brewing good beer. So with the help of his son in law Adolphus Busch—who was a German immigrant, schooled in Beer making—he set out to turnaround a failing business. They together brought to the business strategy and knowledge of brewing--which have remained the mainstay of the business ever since.
Legend has it that Adolphus Busch obtained the recipe for the Beer at a monastery in Germany along with some brewer’s yeast. This recipe became the basis for the beer manufactured by the company and the original strain of yeast was said to have been preserved by the family in the freezer till 1990’s. The turnaround story for the brewery began when Anheuser and Busch increased the brewery’s capacity from 3000 barrels to 8000 barrels and expanded their sales to Texas, Louisiana and Missouri. The beer gained popularity among the cowboys who named it Budweiser in 1891. The company then purchased the name Budweis from the Bohemian brewer of Budweis and enhanced the quality of the beer by innovations in the brewing industry.
During this phase, the development the railroad and refrigeration, allowed the beer to be transported longer distances and the bottling of beer made for easier distribution throughout the country. However, the Anheuser-Busch continued to refer to the company as ‘regional brewery’ which catered to the specific needs and tastes of the local people.
Anheuser retired from active participation in work-a-day activities in 1870’s and Busch took over as the number of employees in the brewery increased. Busch insisted that the employees were members of the family. This unique concept is continued today as employees are cared for and nurtured by the company. Busch was succeeded by his son August A.Busch Sr. The latter began the expansion phase of the company. He first patented the diesel engine which was installed to increase production in the brewery and founded a subsidiary for producing these engines for navy submarines during the World War II. The family also had sufficient finances to purchase two bombers named Miss Budweiser.
The post war prohibition forced the company to diversify into related fields. Malt Syrup was marketed for people who wanted malt for their homemade brews. The refrigeration car company that came into being also helped the company think in terms of creating soft drinks and the Bevo made from ingredients of beer was made and sold successfully for almost three years. When the use of yeast in drinks was prohibited, this drink had to be discontinued and the ingredients of its soft drinks changed.
Meanwhile sweet drinks had spoilt the palette of the people for bitter beer and the demand for soft drinks with sugar was the order of the day. However, Anheuser-Busch was insistent that their beer would not change its taste and launched a major successful advertisement campaign to popularize the drink. The period spanning 1935-1950 was a period of growth. Anheuser-Busch beer was in great demand and the trend continued as the company kept up an aggressive advertising campaign. The legendary advertising campaign “pick-a-pair-of-six-packs” was designed and popularized by the marketing vice president William Bien.
Carling Beer entered into competition with Anheuser Busch at the beginning of 1950. The former beer was more economical as the expansion programs of the latter had pushed up the prize of Anheuser-Busch beer. Anheuser-Busch introduced the lager beer in response to the competition and even bought the Louis Cardinals baseball team to market its new product. To counter the competition of Miller Brewing company, Anheuser Busch introduced two new light beers—Natural Light and Michelob Light – in 1971. The Budweiser Light was also introduced a little later. Advertising budgets were increased and its breweries were expanded to meet the challenges of the competition. Marketing campaigns using college graduates were organized and sales increased.
The management control system introduced by Busch III transformed the family business into a small corporation. Planning, teamwork and communication systems were put in place and the company was ranked first in the brewing industry. The total production was 86.8 million barrels in 1992. The company then entered into a phase of acquisitions. It acquired malt plants in Wisconsin and Minnesota, beer can factories in Florida and Ohio and yeast plants in Missouri, New Jersey, California and Florida. Subsidiaries were established and the Campbell-Taggart, Inc—the largest bakery in the United States—was acquired. The beer was now complemented by the new line of food products.
Theme Parks
Theme parks were designed and created when the Busch Entertainment Corporation was set up in 1979. Busch Gardens opened in Tampa, Florida and had one of the largest wild life collections under the private ownership. Williamsburg, Virginia, Sea world Chain and several other entertainment parks followed. By the end of the century Anheuser-Busch had a large foreign market and a presence in 21 European countries and accounted for as much as 45 percent of the beer production in America. It accounts for about 60 percent of the market today.
Financial Outlook
The total sales during the year ended 2006 was $15,717 million and its net income was $1,945 million. The one year growth in sales was 4.5% and the income growth was 6.9%. The company is proactive in the community in which it operates. Charities, educational institutions and health services are supported by the company in the locations where they have their factories. The company strongly believes that it has a role to play in the civic and cultural enrichment of the community. It has set up a number of employee volunteer grant programs and disaster relief programs.
For more information about the company visit Anheuser-Busch.com.
Languages
English
Address
- 1 Busch Pl. 202-3
- St. Louis MO 63118 US
Contact
- Anheuser-Busch Co, Inc
-
- +1 800 342 5283, Fax: +1 314 577 2900
Additional Information
Related Domains
External Links
- Stock: BUD
- Alexa: Anheuser-Busch.com
