AB InBev buys back $3B stake in US metal container plants

Food Dive reported the development on 2026-01-06. The Bud Light maker sold a minority stake in the business to investors in 2020.

The report places the news in a wider commercial context. AB InBev is buying back a minority stake in its U.S. metal container plants for about $3 billion, the company said Tuesday. The Bud Light maker is reacquiring the 49.9% stake from a group of institutional investors led by Apollo Global Management at roughly the same price the company sold it for in 2020. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter.

For the food sector, the practical implications extend beyond the immediate announcement. The metal container plant operations include seven facilities across six states. AB InBev said the facilities are “a strategic component of our business, ensuring quality, cost efficiency, speed of innovation and supply security” for its brands.

Attention now turns to how companies, customers and regulators respond. At the time of the initial deal, AB InBev planned to use the proceeds from the sale to reduce debt and build out its portfolio, including its beyond beer business. Now in 2026, it plans to buy the rest of the container business back as the Michelob Ultra maker invests hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. manufacturing operations and works to scale newer brands, such as its recently.