Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV
Company History
AB InBev History: Founding, Growth & Key Milestones
Founded 2008 in Leuven, Belgium
When was AB InBev founded?
AB InBev was founded in 2008 in Leuven, Belgium by Jorge Paulo Lemann, Marcel Telles and Carlos Alberto Sicupira, making it 18 years old.
- Founded
- 2008
- Founding place
- Leuven, Belgium
- Founders
- Jorge Paulo Lemann, Marcel Telles and Carlos Alberto Sicupira
- Headquarters today
- Leuven, Belgium
- Milestones documented
- 19 (1717–2026)
- Current CEO
- Michel Doukeris
- Acquisitions
- 6
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1366 | Den Hoorn Brewery Roots in Leuven |
| 1717 | Sebastien Artois Takes Over Den Hoorn |
| 1852 | Anheuser & Co. Brewery Origins in St. Louis |
| 1987 | Artois and Piedboeuf Form Interbrew |
| 1989 | Brazilian Investors Buy Control of Brahma |
| 2004 | Interbrew and Ambev Create InBev |
| 2008 | InBev Acquires Anheuser-Busch |
| 2013 | Grupo Modelo Combination |
| 2014 | Oriental Brewery Reacquired |
| 2016 | SAB Combination Completed |
| 2019 | Budweiser APAC Listed in Hong Kong |
| 2019 | BEES Piloted in the Dominican Republic |
| 2020 | Australian Business Sold to Asahi |
| 2021 | Michel Doukeris Becomes CEO |
| 2023 | Bud Light Boycott |
| 2024 | Worldwide Olympic Partner |
| 2025 | FY2025 Revenue of $59.32B |
| 2026 | BeatBox Acquisition Closes |
| 2026 | First-Half 2026 Results |
- Where was AB InBev founded?
- AB InBev was founded in Leuven, Belgium in 2008.
- Who founded AB InBev?
- AB InBev was founded by Jorge Paulo Lemann, Marcel Telles and Carlos Alberto Sicupira.
- When did AB InBev start?
- AB InBev was founded in 2008.
- How old is AB InBev?
- AB InBev is 18 years old as of 2026.
Founding Story
AB InBev has three main lines of ancestry. In Leuven, Sebastien Artois, master brewer of the Den Hoorn brewery, took over the brewery in 1717; Artois later merged with Piedboeuf in 1987 to form Interbrew. In Brazil, Jorge Paulo Lemann, Marcel Telles and Carlos Alberto Sicupira bought control of Brahma in 1989, and Brahma combined with Antarctica in 1999-2000 to form Ambev. Interbrew and Ambev combined in 2004 to form InBev, which acquired St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch in 2008 and took the name Anheuser-Busch InBev.
Founders
Jorge Paulo Lemann
Lemann is not a founder of the AB InBev legal entity, which was formed in 2008 when InBev acquired Anheuser-Busch. He is listed because he, Marcel Telles and Carlos Alberto Sicupira bought control of Brazilian brewer Brahma in 1989. Brahma combined with Antarctica in 1999-2000 to form Ambev, Ambev combined with Belgium's Interbrew in 2004 to form InBev, and InBev acquired Anheuser-Busch in 2008, according to AB InBev's Form 20-F. Bloomberg describes Lemann as sharing control of AB InBev with Telles and Sicupira. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
Marcel Telles
Telles was one of the three Brazilian partners who bought control of Brahma in 1989, the brewer that became the core of Ambev and, after the 2004 Interbrew combination, of InBev. InBev's 2008 acquisition of Anheuser-Busch created AB InBev. Telles is not a founder of the AB InBev entity itself; he is listed as one of the controlling shareholders behind the chain of deals that produced it. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
Carlos Alberto Sicupira
Sicupira joined Lemann and Telles in buying control of Brahma in 1989. Brahma later merged with Antarctica to form Ambev, which combined with Interbrew in 2004 to create InBev, the company that acquired Anheuser-Busch in 2008. Like his partners, Sicupira did not found the AB InBev entity; he is listed as one of the shareholders whose brewing investments led to it. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
Key Milestones
Den Hoorn Brewery Roots in Leuven
AB InBev traces its brewing tradition to the Den Hoorn brewery in Leuven, Belgium, where Stella Artois has its roots in 1366.
Source: sec.govSebastien Artois Takes Over Den Hoorn
Sebastien Artois, master brewer of Den Hoorn, takes over the brewery and renames it after himself.
Source: sec.govAnheuser & Co. Brewery Origins in St. Louis
The Anheuser & Co. brewery in St. Louis, the forerunner of Anheuser-Busch, dates its origins to 1852.
Source: sec.govArtois and Piedboeuf Form Interbrew
Belgium's two largest breweries, Brouwerijen Artois of Leuven and Brasserie Piedboeuf of Jupille, merge to form Interbrew.
Source: sec.govBrazilian Investors Buy Control of Brahma
Jorge Paulo Lemann, Marcel Telles and Carlos Alberto Sicupira buy control of Brazilian brewer Brahma, which later combines with Antarctica to form Ambev.
Source: ft.comInBev Acquires Anheuser-Busch
InBev combines with Anheuser-Busch through an offer of $54.8 billion and changes its name to Anheuser-Busch InBev.
Source: sec.govGrupo Modelo Combination
AB InBev completes its $20.1 billion combination with Grupo Modelo; Modelo's U.S. business is sold to Constellation Brands for about $4.75 billion.
Source: sec.govOriental Brewery Reacquired
AB InBev completes the $5.8 billion purchase of South Korea's Oriental Brewery, which it had sold in 2009.
Source: fooddive.comSAB Combination Completed
AB InBev completes its combination with SABMiller on 10 October 2016, valued at a gross purchase consideration of $114 billion.
Source: ab-inbev.comBudweiser APAC Listed in Hong Kong
AB InBev lists a minority stake in Budweiser APAC on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange for $5.75 billion, including the over-allotment option.
Source: sec.govBEES Piloted in the Dominican Republic
AB InBev pilots its BEES B2B ordering app in the Dominican Republic before rolling it out to other markets.
Source: eiqeditor.consumergoods.comAustralian Business Sold to Asahi
AB InBev completes the sale of Carlton & United Breweries to Asahi for ~$10.3 billion (AUD 16.0 billion), with net proceeds of $10.8 billion.
Source: sec.govMichel Doukeris Becomes CEO
Michel Doukeris, head of the North America Zone, succeeds Carlos Brito as CEO on 1 July 2021.
Source: ab-inbev.comBud Light Boycott
A backlash over a Bud Light promotion with influencer Dylan Mulvaney cuts Bud Light sales, and Modelo Especial passes it as the top-selling U.S. beer.
Source: theguardian.comWorldwide Olympic Partner
AB InBev becomes a Worldwide Olympic Partner, with Corona Cero as the first global beer sponsor of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Source: sec.govFY2025 Revenue of $59.32B
AB InBev reports $59.32 billion in revenue, $21.2 billion in normalized EBITDA and $52.5 billion in BEES GMV.
Source: sec.govBeatBox Acquisition Closes
AB InBev closes its purchase of 85% of U.S. ready-to-drink brand BeatBox on 27 February 2026 for up to about $490 million.
Source: sec.govFirst-Half 2026 Results
Reported revenue rises 11.5% to $31.93 billion in the first half of 2026, with organic revenue up 5.8% in Q1 and 5.6% in Q2.
Source: businesswire.comMajor Acquisitions
Anheuser-Busch
2008InBev acquired Anheuser-Busch to add Budweiser, Bud Light and a leading U.S. business to its European and Latin American operations.
Grupo Modelo
2013AB InBev combined with Grupo Modelo to own Corona, Modelo Especial, Victoria and Pacifico and lead the Mexican beer market.
Oriental Brewery
2014AB InBev bought back South Korea's Oriental Brewery, maker of Cass, from KKR and Affinity Equity Partners.
SABMiller
2016AB InBev combined with SABMiller to expand in Africa, Latin America and other markets where SAB was strong.
Craft Brew Alliance
2020AB InBev bought the remaining 68.8% of Craft Brew Alliance (Kona, Redhook, Widmer Brothers) to take full control.
BeatBox Beverages
2026AB InBev acquired 85% of BeatBox, a U.S. ready-to-drink alcohol brand, to expand its Beyond Beer portfolio.
Keep researching AB InBev
AB InBev Company History FAQ
What are the defining milestones in AB InBev's historical timeline?
Key milestones include the Den Hoorn brewery roots in Leuven (1366), Sebastien Artois taking over Den Hoorn (1717), the formation of Interbrew (1987), the creation of InBev (2004), the Anheuser-Busch acquisition (2008, $54.8 billion offer), the Grupo Modelo combination (2013, $20.1 billion) and the SABMiller combination (2016, $114 billion gross consideration).
How did Anheuser-Busch survive American Prohibition (1920 to 1933)?
During Prohibition, Anheuser-Busch kept operating by making products such as the near-beer Bevo, baker's yeast, malt syrup, ice cream, truck bodies and refrigeration cabinets.
When was Stella Artois first introduced to international markets?
Originally brewed in Leuven as a Christmas holiday beer in 1926, Stella Artois was launched across European export markets in the 1960s and grew into a global symbol of European premium lager.
What was the significance of the 2008 InBev acquisition of Anheuser-Busch?
The 2008 deal combined InBev's businesses in Latin America and Europe with Anheuser-Busch, which sold roughly half of the beer in the United States, and the combined company took the name Anheuser-Busch InBev.
How did the 2016 SABMiller acquisition transform AB InBev's African footprint?
The SABMiller combination added SAB's African businesses, including South Africa, Tanzania and Mozambique. AB InBev now reports Africa as a separate zone, and mainstream beer grew there in FY2025.
When did AB InBev list its Asian subsidiary, Budweiser APAC, in Hong Kong?
In 2019 AB InBev listed a minority stake in Budweiser Brewing Company APAC on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange for $5.75 billion, including the over-allotment option. It controlled 87.22% of Budweiser APAC at the end of 2025.
How has AB InBev modernized its logistics and route-to-market since 2020?
AB InBev piloted the BEES ordering app in the Dominican Republic in 2019. By 31 December 2025 BEES was live in 29 markets, serving part of the company's more than 6 million customers, and 72% of revenue was captured through B2B digital platforms.
What are AB InBev's sustainability goals?
AB InBev set 2025 Sustainability Goals for smart agriculture, water stewardship, circular packaging and climate action, and an ambition to reach net zero emissions across its value chain by 2040. It says it did not meet some 2025 goals; renewable electricity reached 84% in 2025.
When did InBev buy Anheuser-Busch?
InBev launched a massive, highly controversial $52 billion hostile takeover of the iconic American brewer Anheuser-Busch in 2008, permanently forming the AB InBev conglomerate.
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