Molson Coors is moving the production of its licenced Italian beer brand Peroni Nastro Azzurro to the US.
The US brewer will start production of Peroni Nastro Azzurro in-house at its Albany brewery this summer. Brewing and packaging of the non-alcoholic Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0 brand will remain in Italy.
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Japanese brewer Asahi Group owns the Italian beer brand, having bought it from SABMiller in 2016, but Molson Coors holds import rights for the brand in the US.
“Taking ownership of the brewing process will allow Molson Coors to better serve its network of distributors and customers across the US,” Molson Coors chief supply officer Brian Erhardt said.
Producing the Peroni Nastro Azzurro brand in the US gives Molson Coors more room to expand the brand, while reducing overseas supply issues and costs. The group will start producing kegs in the summer, with can manufacturing beginning in 2025.
The US market has seen production moves in recent years where companies favour local production for international brands.
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By GlobalDataJapanese group Sapporo purchased San Diego’s Stone Brewing in a $165m deal in 2022. The brewer is using Stone’s two US production facilities to expand production of its flagship namesake beer stateside.
Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) has brought home the production of its Stella Artois, Bass and Beck’s brands.
Speaking on AB InBev’s Stella Artois move last year, Rabobank analysts Francois Sonneville and Jim Watson said: “One reason brewers have been reluctant to brew imported beer locally in the US is concern over the impact on brand perception.
“There was considerable backlash against the Beck’s brand when consumers learned the German brand was being brewed in the US.”
Seeming to want to get ahead of those concerns this week, Molson Coors’ Erhardt said: “We’ve spent the last few months working closely with Peroni’s talented master brewers to make certain we stay true to the brand’s crisp refreshing taste and honour its original recipe from 1963.”
