December 21, 2022

By Lynda Kiernan-Stone, Global AgInvesting Media

Japan’s Asahi Group Holdings has launched Asahi Group Beverages & Innovation, an investment management company headquartered in San Francisco, California, for the establishment of a startup investment fund, Asahi Group Beverages & Innovation Fund. 

Beginning in January 2023, the fund will seek to make minority investments in U.S. startups with attractive brands and potential for significant growth in the low-alcohol beverages, non-alcoholic beer-taste beverages, and adult soft drink categories.

Additionally, the fund also will look to back adjacent companies developing models that will lead to new sales and manufacturing methods, with total investments across its portfolio to reach approximately $70 million by the close of 2025.

Asahi

Founded in 1889, Asahi has a history that has culminated in a global portfolio of iconic beer brands including Asahi Super Dry 0.0 percent( which launched last month and will reach the U.S. market in March 2023), Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Kozel, Pilsner Urquell, and Grolsch.

Having grown in both size and scale, the group has a global presence with primary operations in Japan, Europe, Oceania, and Southeast Asia. And with commitments to sustainable societies and ideals of wellbeing, delivers more than 10 billion liters of beverages to consumers around the world  with revenue exceeding 2 trillion JPY.

With this new fund and expansion into the U.S. market, Asahi stated that it aims to achieve  “sustainable growth of existing businesses centered on the beer category while expanding into new areas” – a mission completely aligned with the group’s medium-to-long-term management policy.

“In addition to its size, the U.S. is one of the most attractive markets in the world for creating new trends,” said Atsushi Katsuki, president and CEO, Asahi Group Holdings.

“We look forward to co-creating with startups that will open up new markets for alcohol and non-alcohol beverages. We aim to ‘deliver on our great taste promise and bring more fun to life’ by grasping new trends in the U.S. and creating new value.”

Through minority stake investments and collaboration with its portfolio partners, Asahi Group Holdings will leverage Asahi Group’s extensive platform in support of this expansion into the U.S. and beyond with the long-term goal to enhance corporate value by consistently implementing the strategies outlined in its medium-to-long-term policy.

The launch of this fund also will enable Asahi Group Beverages & Innovation to gain unique insights into market and consumer trends occurring in the U.S.

“The U.S. alcohol and non-alcohol beverage market is a world leader in creating new categories and trends, as seen in the past significant growth of hard seltzer and energy drinks,” noted the company.

~ Lynda Kiernan-Stone is editor in chief with GAI Media, and is managing editor and daily contributor for Global AgInvesting’s AgInvesting Weekly News and  Agtech Intel News, as well as HighQuest Group’s Unconventional Ag. She can be reached at lkiernan-stone@globalaginvesting.com.

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