Businessweek

Companhia de Bebidas das Americas—AmBev engages in the brewing operations in Latin America. The company produces, distributes, and sells beer, carbonated soft drinks (CSDs) and other non-alcoholic and non-carbonated products in 14 countries across the Americas. Business Units The company conducts operations through three business units: Latin America North, Latin America South, and Canada business unit. Latin America North Latin America North, which includes the company’s operations in Brazil, where it operates two divisions: beer sales (Beer Brazil) and carbonated soft drinks and non-alcoholic non-carbonated sales (CSD & NANC Brazil); and Hispanic Latin America Operations, Excluding Latin America South (HILA-Ex), operations comprising the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Ecuador, Guatemala (which also serves El Salvador and Nicaragua), and Peru. The company’s main competitor in this market is The Coca-Cola Company. Its main CSD brands are Guaraná Antarctica, the company in the ‘non-cola’ flavor segment, and Pepsi Cola, which is sold under the production and bottling agreements with PepsiCo. The company’s main competitor in this market is The Coca-Cola Company. Its main CSD brands are Guarana Antarctica, the company in the ‘non-cola’ flavor segment, and Pepsi Cola, which is sold under the production and bottling agreements with PepsiCo. In El Salvador, the main packaging presentation is the returnable one liter glass bottle. The company’s main competitor in El Salvador is a local subsidiary of SAB Miller. In Guatemala, the main packaging presentations are the returnable, 12 oz. and 1 liter glass bottles. The company’s main competitor in Guatemala is Cervecería Centro Americana. In Nicaragua, the main packaging presentation is the returnable, one liter glass bottle. The company’s main competitor in Nicaragua is a joint venture among Guatemala’s Cervecería Centro Americana and Florida Ice & Farm Co, an investor group from Costa Rica. The main packaging presentation in Dominican Republic is the returnable, 650-milliliter glass bottle, which is predominantly sold in small retail stores. Cervecería Nacional Dominicana, which is owned by local investors and competes with Brahma, Brahma Light, Brahma Ice, Quilmes, Stella Artois and, Budweiser brands. The company sells beer in the Dominican Republic through the same distribution system used in the CSD business. In Dominican Republic, the main packaging presentation is the returnable, half-liter bottle (glass/PET), which is sold in small retail stores. The company’s main brands are Red Rock, Pepsi-Cola and Seven UP (all of which are marketed under a bottling agreement with PepsiCo). Its distribution system in the Dominican Republic consists of direct distribution operations and third-party distributors. The company’s main brands in Ecuador are Brahma and Zenda, and its distribution system in Ecuador consists of direct distribution operations in Guayaquil and third-party distributors around the country. In Peru, the main packaging presentation is the returnable, 630-milliliter glass bottle, which is predominantly sold in small retail stores. The company faces competition from local group, Ajegroup. The main brands that the company sells in Peru are Brahma and Zenda and the distribution system used for its beer business is also used for its CSD sales, and consists of direct distribution operations and third-party distributors. Latin America South Latin America South, which includes the company’s operations in Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Chile. The company serves approximately 350,000 points of sale throughout Argentina both directly and through its third party distributors. The company’s major brands in Argentina are Quilmes Cristal, Brahma and Andes. Its major brands in Argentina are Quilmes Cristal, Brahma and Andes. The company owns Bebidas y Aguas Gaseosas Occidente S.R.L., becoming the bottler of Pepsi in Bolivia. Its major brands in Chile are Brahma, Becker, and Baltica. The company’s brands in Paraguay are Brahma and Pilsen. It also operates as a distributor of the Budweiser brand in Paraguay. The company’s major brand