Grupo Modelo brands Corona Extra and Corona Light pumped up the party with their new “Corona de Mayo” marketing push in the weeks that led up to Cinco de Mayo on May 5.

Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev), Leuven, Belgium, and Constellation Brands Inc., Victor, N.Y., announced a revised agreement that establishes Chicago-based Crown Imports as the No. 3 producer and marketer of beer in the United States through a complete divestiture of Grupo Modelo’s U.S. business.

On Jan. 31, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Washington, D.C., filed a civil antitrust lawsuit challenging Leuven, Belgium-based Anheuser-Busch InBev’s (AB InBev) proposed acquisition of total ownership and control of Grupo Modelo, Mexico City. 

Most of the time, change doesn’t happen overnight. But in the case of Silver Eagle Distributors, its acquisition of BudCo Ltd. in 2007 catapulted its business in an instant. 

Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev), Leuven, Belgium, will acquire the remaining stake in Grupo Modelo, Mexico City, for $20.1 billion. The combined company would lead the global beer industry with roughly 400 million hectoliters of beer volume annually and 2012 estimated revenues of $47 billion, AB InBev noted in a statement. Tangentially, Constellation Brands Inc., Victor, N.Y., which in a joint venture with Grupo Modelo currently owns 50 percent of Crown Imports LLC, Chicago, signed an agreement with AB InBev to purchase the remaining 50 percent interest in Crown for $1.85 billion.

Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev), Leuven, Belgium, released a statement regarding speculation about a possible merger between AB InBev and Grupo Modelo, saying the following:

Grupo Modelo’s Compañia Cervecera de Coahuila S.A. de C.V. in Piedras Negras, Mexico, is one of the most automated plants in the global beer industry, yet it still retains the mastery of making beer that the company has had since its inception, thus preserving the traditional quality of its brands. The eighth and most recent plant in Grupo Modelo’s portfolio, the Compañia Cervecera de Coahuila has been called the “eighth wonder of Grupo Modelo.” Corona Extra production began March 28, 2010, in one of the most modern process plants in the world, which is a mark of pride for those who work at Grupo Modelo and in the Mexican village in general.