Sapporo says moving zero-proof process to U.S. from Canada ‘not finalized’
The company is considering moving production of its non-alcoholic beer to American breweries, but says 99.5 per cent of its Canadian production is staying put.
Japanese brewer Sapporo has clarified that it is not considering a significant relocation of production from Canada to the U.S. amid rising tariff tensions, despite media reports suggesting otherwise. The company's spokesperson confirmed to Global News that only a small portion of its zero-proof Sapporo 0.0% production would move to U.S. facilities, accounting for just 0.5% of Sleeman Breweries' total Canadian output.
Sapporo maintains that its primary focus remains on sustaining and expanding its Canadian operations, particularly its non-alcoholic beer offerings. The company denied Bloomberg's earlier report that it would be shifting some production to the U.S. as part of a strategy to grow its presence in the American market. Trade tensions between Canada and the U.S. escalated in late August, leading to the imposition of retaliatory tariffs on Canadian goods.
Canadian counter-tariffs on approximately $28 billion worth of U.S. products came into effect on Tuesday, further fueling concerns about Sapporo's potential withdrawal from Canada. Despite the volatile situation, Sapporo's chief strategy officer, Reiko Shofu, emphasized that the company would continue to prioritize local production.
Written by urgent.news from Global News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
