AB InBev Tops Global Drinks Companies List with $52.3 Billion in Revenue

Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) is ranked first on the list of the top drinks companies in 2020 according to Drinks Insight Network. It had $52.3 billion in revenue during the year 2019 from beverages alone and over 80 different offerings for different occasions.

However, it was negatively impacted by pandemic-related restrictions, suffering a 12% YoY revenue decline during H1 2020.

The company had a slight recovery in Q3 2020, posting a 4% increase in revenue. Its global brand portfolio, including Stellar Artois, Budweiser and Corona had a revenue surge of 8.1%. High-End Company segment which includes crafts and speciality surged 6.5%.

According to Drinks Insight Network, Coca Cola is the second biggest drinks company in 2020, followed by Nestle. PepsiCo is fourth on the list.

The top three companies on the Global 2000 food and beverage list, as well as the #2 to #4 drinks companies, also featured prominently on a less appealing list. Coca Cola was found to be the #1 plastic polluter on the 2020 Break Free from Plastic rankings. Its branding appeared on 13,834 pieces of discarded plastic.

This is the third consecutive year for the beverage brand in the top spot. In 2019, Coca Colas was the most frequently littered brand in 37 out of 51 (60.7%) countries surveyed. The figure rose to 51 out of 55 (92.7%) in 2020.

Coca Cola’s figure was higher than that of the next two combined. Nestle was the #2 with 8,633 while PepsiCo took the #3 spot with 5,155.

Top 25 Food and Beverage Companies Net $91 Billion in Profit

Based on the 2020 Forbes’ Global 2000 report, the top 25 companies in the food and beverage industry generated $815 billion in revenue over the one-year period ending in May 2020.

That was a slight improvement over the $800 billion posted during a similar period in 2019. The period also saw an increase in profits, going from $80 billion to $91 billion.

Nestle retained the top spot on this list as well thanks to its top-performing products that include Stouffer’s, Hot Pockets and DiGiorno. It has also had a remarkable performance with its coffee brand Nespresso. 30% of the conglomerate’s sales come from the US market.

Its total profit is approaching $13 billion, marking a 30% year-over-year (YoY) increase. On the overall Global 2000 list, Nestle ranked #41, moving up one spot from 2019. It has held the title of top food company globally for over 10 years, with the exception of brief dethronement in 2018 by Anheuser-Busch InBev.

Pepsi Co was second on the list and #87 on the overall list, with $68.2 in sales and $7.2 billion in profit. Its close rival Coca Cola ranked third and #96 overall with $37.2 billion in sales and almost $10 billion in profit.

Unilever took the fourth spot and #110 overall with sales worth $58.2 billion and $6.3 billion as profit.

Mondelez International was fifth and #188 overall, having made $26 billion in sales and $3.7 in profit during the period.