Sector News

AB InBev’s ZX Ventures acquires remaining stake in RateBeer

February 11, 2019
Consumer Packaged Goods

AB InBev’s venture capital division ZX Ventures has fully acquired US-based consumer review website RateBeer.

RateBeer founder Joe Tucker announced the deal, which will see the company look to expand in Australia.

The acquisition comes after AB InBev bought a minority stake in the firm in 2016, a deal that was not made public until 2017.

In a statement, Tucker said: “After ZX Ventures took a minority investment in RateBeer, we were able to make improvements to infrastructure, put out an in-house mobile app, and modernise key pages that, as the only full-time employee with help from some amazing admins and volunteer coders, I was never able to tackle.

“Now, with access to greater resources, we’ll be able to continue modernising the site, and expand into new areas, like an affiliate marketplace in Australia.

“RateBeer is a quality-focused organisation, and our value to the community has always depended on our integrity, and willingness to put in greater effort to produce more meaningful scores and information.”

He added that he will continue in his role as global community manager post-acquisition.

The ZX Ventures investment portfolio consists of beer brands such as Pirate Life, Camden Town Brewery and 4 Pines.

Last month, the division invested in Pensa Systems, a US developer of a new retail inventory visibility system that uses artificial intelligence and autonomous drones to see and understand what is on store shelves.

By Jules Scully

Source: FoodBev

comments closed

Related News

March 24, 2024

Aldi’s new flat and stackable wine bottles “make light work of heavy shopping baskets”

Consumer Packaged Goods

Collaborating with Packamama, Aldi has rolled out the “UK’s first” supermarket own-brand flat wine bottles within its Chapter & Verse label. The recyclable ergonomic packaging concept is made from 100% recycled PET (rPET) and available for shiraz and chardonnay options.

March 24, 2024

Health, sustainability, and a taste for adventure drive snacking behaviors: Mondelēz State of Snacking report

Consumer Packaged Goods

For the fifth year in a row, global consumers expressed a preference for snacking over traditional meals, with six in 10 consumers saying they’d rather eat several small meals throughout the day than a few large ones, according to the fifth annual State of Snacking report from Mondelēz International. Nearly nine in 10 (88%) consumers snack daily.

March 24, 2024

Shareholders challenge Nestlé to increase sales of healthy foods

Consumer Packaged Goods

The shareholders are urging Nestlé to set a target to boost the proportion of its sales from healthier products amid concerns regarding regulatory, reputational and legal risks faced by the company, as well as the public health implications “associated with an over-reliance on less healthy foods”.

How can we help you?

We're easy to reach