Our response to COVID19: Making an impact where it matters

At AB InBev, we believe in bringing people together for a better world and our purpose has never been more relevant than today. COVID-19 has caused all of us to reevaluate what it means to be together. For us, it means joining efforts to support our communities, our partners, and each other during these challenging times.

We are deeply connected to the communities where we live and work and strive to be part of the solution. Since the beginning of the outbreak, we have been delivering impact where it is needed. We are coming together to prioritize each other’s health and safety, to support our operations through new ways of working, and to help our communities where we can. 

Today, we are focused on supporting our people, helping our communities, working with our partners, and connecting with our consumers in meaningful ways.

OUR PEOPLE

The health and safety of our people is, and always will be, our top priority. We have implemented precautionary measures that go above and beyond guidelines from the World Health Organization and local governments, and we are regularly updating and sharing resources for the physical and mental well-being of our colleagues.

Our teams in China and South Korea were the first to be impacted by this crisis. Supported by colleagues across our markets, the efforts of our teams in China and South Korea were remarkable. Their experience and insight have provided best practice sharing that continues to benefit our operations around the world.

OUR COMMUNITIES 

The strength of our global business comes from our local presence. Because the majority of our ingredients and products are sourced and brewed locally, we are deeply connected to our communities. Together with local governments and partners we’re using our existing operations and infrastructure to address immediate needs by developing, donating and distributing essential resources needed to fight the pandemic. This includes:

• Producing and donating nearly three million bottles of hand sanitizer and disinfectant to hospitals and front-line health workers in 20+ countries (Read more here)
• Providing water and medical supplies to front-line emergency workers around the world, including the donation of 3 million face shields in Brazil by Cervejaria Ambev
• Contributing to the enhancement of health infrastructure in several cities, including a project in Brazil where Cervejaria Ambev, alongside Gerdau, Hospital Albert Einstein, and the City of São Paulo are partnering to build a public hospital with 100 beds
• Identifying available arenas and stadiums to be used by the American Red Cross for temporary blood drive centers across the United States
• Mobilizing our fleets of trucks in Colombia, Peru and Ecuador to deliver essential food and medical supplies to areas where they are needed

OUR PARTNERS

We are privileged to be able to call many hard-working people in the hospitality industry our customers and partners. As local pubs, bars and restaurants have been forced to close their doors to contain the spread of COVID-19, we have launched a series of initiatives to provide support, including:

• In Belgium, AB InBev launched Café Courage, an online platform where consumers can pre-order and pay for their favorite beer at a participating bar, which they can enjoy when it reopens.
• In Brazil, Stella Artois launched the #ApoieUmRestaurante , where consumers can purchase discounted vouchers, supplemented by Stella Artois and other partners, to help sustain local restaurants during the crisis.
• In the Netherlands, AB InBev is supporting the #Helpdehoreca movement organized by the national hospitality industry association, which is offering consumers the opportunity to buy beer vouchers for the future.
• In the UK, the “Save Pub Life” campaign offers consumers the chance to buy a gift card to spend at a local pub at a future date. Budweiser Brewing Group will match the value of the gift card up to £1 million.
• In the United States, Bud Light is powering the “Open For Takeout” initiative, which allows users to enter their zip code to see what local bars and restaurants are open for takeout or delivery.
• In Canada, Stella Artois launched “Rally for Restaurants,” allowing users to buy gift cards, and the brand will add an additional $10 to the value of every card purchased to go directly to the restaurants, bars and pubs. 
• In Mexico, Grupo Modelo is expanding their Academia de Meseros Modelo to support 4,000 waiters with on-line training and rewards.
• In Colombia, Tienda Cerca is a digital platform that allows users to access a directory with more than 25,000 neighborhood stores nationwide.

OUR CONSUMERS

We are continuing to leverage the power of our brands to engage, inspire, and bring hope to our consumers by:

• Redirecting sport sponsorship funds to emergency efforts, including Anheuser-Busch’s $5 million donation to the American Red Cross and South African Breweries’ contribution to the nation’s Solidarity Response Fund 
• Developing unique in-home activities, including Michelob Ultra’s fitness programs in the United States, Budweiser’s e-clubbing partnerships in China, and Brahma’s virtual country music concert series, Circuito Brahma the first of which had over 3 million viewers during its first live show, in Brazil
• Supporting preventative measures like social distancing in creative advertisements, including Budweiser’s “Buds, from a distance” series in the U.S., and Quilmes’ “#SomosResponsables” campaign in Argentina

We are proud of the resilience, commitment and agility of our teams that are making these initiatives happen and we will continue to explore opportunities in which we can support the fight against COVID-19.

In these unprecedented times, we remain committed to playing our part in building a better world, now and for the next 100+ years. 

We are in this together. 

#TogetherAtADistance