Anheuser-Busch to invest $21m into Southern California facilities in manufacturing expansion

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Anheuser-Busch is investing $21 million in its Los Angeles and Mira Loma, California, facilities as the brewer expands production capacity for Budweiser, Michelob Ultra and Cutwater and increases its focus on manufacturing workforce development.

The investment forms part of the brewer’s broader Brewing Futures initiative, through which Anheuser-Busch says it is investing $600 million in its US operations during 2025 and 2026.

At its Southern California sites, the latest investment will support upgrades to canning and bottling operations, increase rail capacity and strengthen the facilities’ transportation and route-to-market capabilities. The company also expects the investment to support production of Phorm Energy.

Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth said the investment would strengthen the company’s Southern California operations while supporting local manufacturing employment.

Alongside the equipment and infrastructure upgrades, Anheuser-Busch plans to open a technical skills training centre at its Los Angeles brewery in Van Nuys.

The centre will provide training in electrical and mechanical systems associated with brewery equipment, with the company positioning the program as part of a wider effort to develop its U.S. manufacturing workforce.

Anheuser-Busch plans to establish 15 such training centres nationwide and says it aims to upskill more than 90% of its US manufacturing workforce over the next five years.

The company has operated its Los Angeles brewery since 1954 and says it has invested $184 million in its Los Angeles and Mira Loma facilities since 2021. Hundreds of employees work at the two Southern California facilities, with the Los Angeles brewery producing more than 50 Anheuser-Busch brands.

The company said the latest investment reflects its continuing focus on domestic manufacturing, facility modernisation and workforce development.

The news follows investments of $5 million in the company's brewery operations in Columbus, Ohio, $13 million in Baldwinsville, New York and $20 million in its Missouri operations.