Your next can of the Labatt Blue might not read that it is imported "Canadian Pilsner." But that it’s “Brewed in the USA” — right here in Rochester, NY.
For the first time in the label’s nearly 75-year history, the popular pilsner lager — and the even more popular Labatt Blue Light — are being brewed south of the border.
Genesee Brewery sent out the first shipments Monday to select locations across New York and Pennsylvania.
"Labatt Blue and Labatt Blue Light, those two core brands which represent the highest volume for the Labatt line, actually have always come from Canada and have been imported into the United States,” said brewery spokesperson Mary Beth Popp.
Both the brewery and Labatt USA are owned by FIFCO USA, based in Rochester, with a portfolio that also includes Genesee Brewing, Seagram’s Escapes, Lipton Hard Iced Tea and Magic Hat.
The brewery has long produced other Labatt lines like Blue Light Seltzer. It's now taking on Labatt Blue and Blue Light because Canadian production was not keeping pace with demand.
Genesee Brewery expects to see even more production of this and other brands soon.
The company announced a $50 million investment to its packaging operations Monday focused on packaging. The new line will be 70% faster while using about the same amount of energy, Popp said.
It's the latest in a string of major investments in the St. Paul Street campus and mirrors an upgrade to the brewing system that was completed in 2018.
“It's kind of like a phase two to that original $50 million (brewing upgrade),” Popp said. “We're creating a world-class packaging facility. So we will have the most up-to-date packaging capabilities for innovation, for new brands. We're really excited.”
Work began in January, assisted by a $7 million grant from New York state.
“Over the last several years, the brewing industry as a whole has shifted largely from bottles to cans,” Popp said. “So canning lines now need lots of flexibility to create different sizes of packaging, different configurations.”
Labatt products are running on the existing lines. But the new line will make the added production sustainable in the long term.
The company expects to complete the packaging upgrade in three years, while adding 57 jobs and retaining 500.
