Labatt Blue
 |
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| Industry | Alcoholic beverage |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1847 |
| Founder | John Kinder Labatt |
| Headquarters | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Products | Beer |
| Parent | Anheuser-Busch InBev |
| Subsidiaries | The Beer Store (49%) |
| Website | labatt.com |
Labatt Brewing Company Ltd. (French: Brasseries Labatt du Canada Ltée) is a Belgian-owned Canadian beer company founded by John Kinder Labatt in 1847 in London, Ontario. Labatt is the largest brewer in Canada.
In 1995, it was purchased by Belgian brewer Interbrew. In 2004, Interbrew merged with Brazilian brewer AmBev to form InBev. In 2008, InBev merged with American brewer Anheuser-Busch to form Anheuser-Busch InBev (abbreviated AB InBev) making Labatt Brewing part of Anheuser-Busch InBev. On October 10, 2016, an over $100 billion merger between Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) and SABMiller closed. Labatt is now part of the new company, Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV,which is trading as BUD on the New York Stock Exchange; (ABI:BB in Brussels.)
In the United States, Labatt brand beers are sold under license by Labatt USA, which since 2009 has been fully independent of the Canadian firm and a subsidiary of the privately held North American Breweries of Rochester, New York.
In 1901, Prohibition in Canada began through a provincial legislation in Prince Edward Island. In 1916, prohibition was instituted in Ontario as well, affecting all 64 breweries in the province. Although some provinces totally banned alcohol manufacture, some permitted production for export to the United States. Labatt survived by producing full strength beer for export south of the border and by introducing two "temperance ales" with less than two per cent alcohol for sale in Ontario. However, the Canadian beer industry suffered a second blow when Prohibition in the United States began in 1919. When Prohibition was repealed in Ontario in 1926, just 15 breweries remained and only Labatt retained its original management. This resulted in a strengthened industry position. In 1945, Labatt became a publicly traded company with the issuance of 900,000 shares.
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