Coors Plans to Spend More on Non-Alcoholic Beer As Drinking Habits Continue to Change. 'We Believe We Can Win Here'

Molson-Coors Beverage Co. (NYSE:TAP) is planning on acquiring more non-alcoholic beer brands in an effort to appeal to the public's changing drinking habits, according to company executives.

"While beer is our roots and at the core of our business, you can also expect us to step up our focus on beyond beer because we believe we can win here," CEO Rahul Goyal said on Molson-Coors's Q3 earnings call earlier this month. "Not only does it help to premiumize our business, but it also creates value for our customers by appealing to a wider range of consumer preferences and serving more occasions." 

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Molson-Coors already produces non-alcoholic versions of its Coors, Blue Moon, and other brands. There are plans to "fill some gaps" in the zero-proof part of the company's portfolio and make it a bigger part of the overall business strategy, Goyal said on the call. 

"So in terms of deploying capital, you will see us probably lean in a lot more on the beyond beer space than the beer space," he said.

Breweries are shifting focus 

Alcohol consumption is at an all-time low, with only 54% of US adults saying they consume alcoholic beverages, according to a Gallup poll released in August.

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As more Americans give up alcohol, breweries and craft beer manufacturers have started offering new non-alcoholic brews or near beer, beers with very low alcohol content. The global non-alcoholic beer market is expected to reach $34.98 billion by 2029, The Business Research Company said in January. 

Molson-Coors acquired a minority stake in U.K.-based beverage company Fever-Tree earlier this year. That acquisition could serve as a model for future M&A opportunities to expand its non-alcoholic portfolio, Goyal said on the Q3 earnings call.  

"We want to make sure we deploy capital for brands that fill gaps in our portfolio," he said. 

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Coors isn't the only beer brand putting a heavier emphasis on non-beer categories. Anheuser-Busch (NYSE:BUD) saw net revenue of non-alcoholic drinks jump 27% year over year, CEO Michel Doukeris said during the company's Q3 earnings call.

"Non alcohol beer is a key opportunity to develop new consumption occasions and increase participation, and we are investing and innovating to lead the growth," Doukeris said on the call.

While beyond beer only accounts for 2% of Anheuser-Busch's overall volume, the company plans on spending more on it in the coming months, according to Doukeris. 

"The opportunity here is huge because the addressable market outside of the beer category is very relevant and is bigger than the beer category itself," he said. "It is a huge addressable market. Today it is a very small portion of our volumes, but it is growing very fast."

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