Sapporo Breweries plans to move some beer production from Canada to the US as new tariffs on Canadian goods, including beer, raise the cost of cross-border shipments.
The Japanese brewer is considering building or acquiring a brewery on the US West Coast or using third-party manufacturers. The company plans to first shift production of its non-alcoholic beer to the US by the first half of 2027.
Sapporo said the US is a key growth market, and that it sees room to expand its share there. Chief Strategy Officer Rieko Shofu told Bloomberg the tariffs were “something out of our control,” and that the company would “move ahead with local production.”
The company is also planning to invest about $2.6 billion through 2030 to expand its business, with around 30% targeted at overseas markets. It is also looking beyond North America, with a partnership announced in July with Danish brewer Carlsberg to grow its business in Southeast Asia.
