Japanese brewer Sapporo Breweries said it will move some beer production from Canada to the United States after new tariffs on Canadian beer took effect Tuesday.
The company announced plans to shift production of its non-alcoholic beer, currently manufactured in Canada for US customers, to the US by the first half of 2027. The move follows the introduction of a 50% tariff on beer imported from Canada, which significantly increases costs for companies shipping beer across the border.
Rieko Shofu, Sapporo's chief strategy officer, described tariffs as "something out of our control" and said the beer giant would "move ahead with local production." The company is also considering adding manufacturing capacity on the West Coast as it seeks to expand its flagship brand in one of its biggest overseas markets.
Sapporo makes the top-selling Asian beer in the US market. The country is one of the company's most important overseas markets. The production shift is part of a broader revamp of Sapporo's North American operations following years of acquisitions that failed to deliver sufficient returns. The company sold Stone Brewing in 2022 and liquidated Anchor Brewing in 2023.
Sapporo did not immediately respond to requests for comment from news outlets.