Will InBev Buy Anheuser-Bush?

On May 23, 2008, it was reported that InBev is preparing a US$46 billion offer for American brewing company Anheuser-Busch. This is an absolustely huge deal, making many people a good amount of money and taking what many consider an “American” heritage and making it foreign owned.

InBev, a Belgian company, is the largest brewer in the world and has been built from many smaller companies, merger after merger and now we’re talking a brewing company with a presence in over 30 countries with sales in over 130 countries.

If InBev actualy purchases Anheuser-Bush for the amount stated, we’d have one of the biggest empires in the world. However, Anheuser-Bush hasn’t made any announcement on their decision yet, only arriving at a “no response” decision.

“No response to the proposal was made by the board today. The board will continue to review and consider the proposal.” (anheuser-bush.com)

Many Americans are raising their arms and screaming “no!” to Anheuser-Bush, pleading to not lose their great American heritage to foreigners. I have a different opinion, first, one must remember that Anheuser-Bush was orignally a Bavarian company. Sure, it’s not Belgium, but it’s founded by immigrants, aquired later while it was failing by immagrants and is, in fact, founded by “foreigners.”

Back in 1860 Eberhard Anheuser purchased the Bavarian brew house and tried to turn it around. In 1864, his son-in-law, Adolphus Busch, joined the company and had what it took to really turn the company into a successful direction. Anheuser knew a lot about manufacturing soap but little about beer, but Adolphus had a great vision and took extreme risks to survive in a world of fickle beer drinkers.

Going from a darker lager to something a bit more bohemian, Anheuser-Bush changed with the times, created beer people wanted and understood that beer creation is a science, not a process of elimination. Now, over 150 years since the brewery started, their being looked at for a value that would have floored Anheuser or Bush; a reward for their efforts, risks and ability to continue to choose the right person to take their place at the helm of the biggest beer company in the world.

Are we losing our heritage by selling out to a foreign beer company? It depends on your perspective, the United States has helped grow the early immegrants idea of beer from a small brick building to a multi-billion dollar industry, isn’t it a reward to their founders if they see their company see such success?

Or, is the true reward for Anheuser-Bush, satisfying its customers and showing the world why their beer is number one? On one hand, Anheuser-Bush is a staple home product, a beverage that has been in hour parents history, their parents history and the parents before them. On the other hand, Anheuser-Bush is a company that was founded on succeeding and taking risk for the reward of success.

Isn’t a US$46 billion offer a successful outcome?

It seems very odd that InBev would purchase the company with the ideas of changing its direction, changing its receipes or forgoing further improvement, research and progress. In some ways, wouldn’t it be symbolic for Anheuser-Bush to be brought to success by European immigrants to be returned to foreign soil with a huge price?

From a business perspective this is a once and a lifetime opportunity. From an American heritage perspective this is the end of an era, leaving us with other microbreweries to pickup the loss of such a great symbol of American life. In many ways Anheuser-Bush is more recognizes, older and larger in life than the Statue of Liberty itself. No, it doesn’t stand for freedom and independance but it does stand for something great: success, struggle and the willingness to risk your entire lively hood for the sweet taste of victory.

I believe this is a great victory for Anheuser-Bush, I say take the offer and be proud for what you’ve build over the last 150 years; the beer isn’t going away, it’s just being owned and operated by someone new.

Yet, there is a little part inside me that wonders “is this the right decision?” Perhaps this is why the board has yet to come to any conclusion besides, “no response.”