Anheuser-Busch and Babe Wine Partner to Further Strengthen Industry Leading Portfolio With Increased Investment in Wine

Partnership Addresses Consumer Need for Innovative and Great-Tasting Wine

JUNE 28, 2019 - NEW YORK, NY - The country's leading brewer, Anheuser-Busch, through its affiliate ZX Ventures, will acquire the remaining stake in the disruptive wine company, Babe Wine. Babe Wine's partnership began back in 2018 when the company's global growth and innovation group, ZX Ventures, acquired a minority stake in the company.

Since joining the Anheuser-Busch family, distribution of Babe Wine's popular Rosé, Pinot Grigio and Red wine has increased dramatically, offering more consumers in more locations the opportunity to enjoy the portable and photogenic pop culture phenomenon.  

Anheuser-Busch has continued to expand its roster in the Beyond Beer arena, leveraging its core capabilities to produce and distribute a portfolio of beverages designed to keep up with evolving consumer tastes. Babe falls under the beyond beer umbrella with other Anheuser-Busch brands like Drinkworks, Bon & Viv Spiked Seltzer, and, the newest addition, Cutwater Spirits. The expansion of this partnership is consistent with the brewer's overall strategy to drive growth in the U.S. by providing consumers with winning brands for every occasion.  

“We pride ourselves on putting the consumer first and evolving with them through innovation and cultural engagement, and Babe Wine is in a class by itself when it comes to understanding their drinkers and building brand loyalty,” said Michel Doukeris, CEO, Anheuser-Busch. “We're looking forward to taking this partnership to the next level and using our distribution capabilities to share Babe's great portfolio with more consumers around the country.”

Launched as Swish Beverages in 2016, Babe Wine founders Josh "The Fat Jewish" Ostrovsky, and brothers David Oliver Cohen and Tanner Cohen, developed a unique wine proposition that utilized their extensive social media following, empowering Babe to be one of the most photographed wines on Instagram.

“Anheuser-Busch pioneered the modern beverage landscape,” David Oliver Cohen, Co-Founder of Babe Wine said. “We have a dream to make Babe into America's #1 wine, and A-B has the vision, the capabilities, the people and the network to help us get there.”

Babe Wine will continue to be led by Josh Ostrovsky, David Oliver Cohen and their senior leadership team.

About Babe Wine

Launched as Swish Beverages in 2016, Babe Wine founders Josh "The Fat Jewish" Ostrovsky, and brothers David Oliver Cohen and Tanner Cohen developed a unique brand-led wine proposition that utilized their extensive social media audience. Babe was created with the mission to simplify the saturated wine category by introducing a fun, inclusive and portable product to consumers.

The New York based company's portfolio of photogenic and delicious Rosé, Pinot Grigio and Red canned wine has empowered Babe to be one of the most photographed wines on Instagram.

About Anheuser-Busch

For more than 165 years, Anheuser-Busch has carried on a legacy of brewing great-tasting, high-quality beers that have satisfied beer drinkers for generations. Today, we own and operate 23 breweries, 14 distributorships and 23 agricultural and packaging facilities, and have more than 18,000 colleagues across the United States. We are home to several of America's most recognizable beer brands, including Budweiser, Bud Light, Michelob ULTRA and Stella Artois, as well as a number of regional brands that provide beer drinkers with a choice of the best-tasting craft beers in the industry.   

From responsible drinking programs and emergency drinking water donations to industry-leading sustainability efforts, we are guided by our unwavering commitment to supporting the communities we call home.

For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com or follow Anheuser-Busch on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.  

About ZX Ventures

Established in 2015, ZX Ventures is the global growth and innovation group within Anheuser-Busch InBev. Headquartered in New York City, ZX Ventures invests in and develops new products and businesses that meet emerging consumer needs.

For more information visit ZX-Ventures.com or follow ZX Ventures on LinkedIn and Instagram.