It might be a good idea for people who want to support small businesses this Christmas to reacquaint themselves with the names of the major global beverage companies. A recent report that detailed the revenue and sales figures of the largest beverage companies globally featured several well-known brand names that consumers are likely to purchase during the holiday season.
The top 10 companies in the alcoholic beverage industry are listed here to help those who would like to try to purchase independent brands.
AB InBev
Earnings: $57.7 billion USD
AB With its global headquarters located in Leuven, Belgium, InBev is the biggest alcohol company globally. Its portfolio comprises more than 500 beers from more than 100 nations. Its revenue at year’s end in 2022 indicated 11.2% organic growth. Among its most well-known brands are Camden Town, Budweiser, Stella Artois, Beck’s, Corona, and Brahma. In some areas, InBev also produces brands like Quilmes, Skol, and Harbin.
Diageo
Revenue: $18.11 billion (US)
With 132 production facilities, more than 200 brands, and operations in more than 180 countries, Diageo’s distilleries generate 40% of the world’s Scotch whisky. Grand Old Parr, J&B, and Johnnie Walker are some of its Scotch brands. It is the owner of the Guinness beer brand as well as the Smirnoff, Baileys, Captain Morgan, Tanqueray, Don Julio, and Crown Royal spirits brands.
Asahi
Earnings: $16.6 billion USD
With its headquarters located in Tokyo and production facilities spread across more than 60 countries, Asahi is recognized as the largest beer producer in Japan in terms of both volume and revenue. Asahi Super Dry, Peroni Nastro Azzuro, Pilsner Urquell, Grolsch, and Kozel are among the five primary beer brands offered by Asahi. Nikka Whisky is also owned by it. In the UK, it also owns Fuller’s, which carries the Dark Star and Meantime Brewery beer brands.
Kirin
Earnings: $13.1 billion USD
The Japan Brewery Company was established in 1885, and by 1888, a popular lager brand called Kirin had been introduced. After acquiring the Japan Brewery Company’s operations, the company eventually changed its name to Kirin Brewery in 1907.
In addition to Japanese wines, Kirin’s portfolio comprises beers, whiskies, vodkas, and shochu. Among its brands are Château Mercian, Four Roses, Honkirin, and Kirin Ichiban.
Ricard Pernod
Sales revenue: $11.33 billion USD
With its headquarters in Paris, the French wine and spirits company produces 240 brands.
Perrier-Jouët, Absolut Vodka, Chivas, The Glenlivet, Jacob’s Creek, Campo Viejo, and Stoneleigh are a few of its brands.
Molson Coors
Sales revenue: $10.7 billion US
The Canadian-American beverage company, which is based in Chicago, Illinois, is home to more than 60 different beer brands. Carling, Staropramen, Miller, Coors, Aguila, Bavaria, Molson Canadian, and Black Ice are a few of these. Coors Light and Miller Lite, two of the company’s low-calorie brands, are said to have recently reported their best combined full-year dollar share performance in ten years in the US.
Carlsberg
Income: $10 billion US
One of the biggest beer producers in the world, the Danish company has about 700 brands, including Tuborg, Holsten, Aldaris, Gorkha, Grimbergen, Okocim, Carlsberg, and Krinenbourg.
In comparison to the prior year, Carlsberg reported an organic revenue growth of 15.6% in 2022 and an organic profit growth of 12.2% during the same time frame.
Star Brands
Revenues: US$9.5 billion
With its main office located in New York, Constellation Brands operates primarily in the United States, although it is also present in Switzerland, Mexico, New Zealand, and Italy.
Brands like Modelo, Corona, Ruffino, Schrader, SIMI, Casa Noble Tequila, Mi Campo, and Svedka Vodka are among those in the company’s portfolio. Around US$7.4 billion of its total net sales for the year that ended in February 2023 were reportedly generated by its beer business alone.
LVMH
Revenue: 7.5 billion US dollars
In addition to being one of the biggest alcohol companies globally, the French multinational LVMH is the largest luxury goods group in the world and is typically connected to the fashion industry.
The group’s wine and spirits division comprises 25 houses that produce some of the most well-known brands in the world, such as Moët & Chandon, Krug, Veuve Clicquot, Hennessy, and Château d’Yquem. Furthermore, a few of its vineyards, such as Dom Pérignon and Domaine des Lambrays, date back several centuries.
Suntory
Revenue: $5,2 billion USD
With its main office located in Osaka, Suntory is the biggest beverage company in Japan. It formed Beam Suntory in 2014 by purchasing Beam for US$16 billion, giving it a significant foothold in the US market. With operations in more than 85 countries, its alcoholic product line includes several spirit brands like Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Canadian Club, Laphroaig, Glenfiddich, Akadama, Hornitos, Pinnacle, Haku, and Roku, along with Japanese whisky brands like Hakushu, Hibiki, Kakubin, and Yamazaki.