Brewery Converts One Packaging Line To Canned Drinking Water

As part of a 25-year tradition of producing emergency drinking water, Anheuser-Busch on Wednesday converted one of the seven packaging lines at its Cartersville brewery to caned drinking water.

The water will be donated to the American Red Cross for use following natural and other disasters.

For more than 25 years, Anheuser-Busch has donated emergency drinking water packaged in special cans to help residents affected by disasters, working with wholesalers, the Red Cross and other community partners to ensure the water is delivered to those in need. All of the emergency drinking water Anheuser-Busch donates nationwide is produced in Cartersville. 

Anheuser-Busch has donated more than 72 million cans of emergency drinking water since 1988 and has given more than 1.6 million cans across more than 10 states during the past two years alone, according to the company's press release. Earlier this month, for example, canned water produced in Cartersville helped Florida panhandle residents following flooding.

“Canning emergency water is something we are uniquely suited to do,” said Rob Haas, the general manager of Anheuser-Busch’s Cartersville brewery. “We can very quickly ship drinking water to wherever it needs to be nationwide.”

On Wednesday, the Cartersville brewery canned more than 35,000 cases of water. The brewery holds emergency water runs two to three times every year, allowing the company to keep up to 70,000 cases of emergency drinking water available to send immediately to disaster relief efforts nationwide.

Anheuser-Busch’s community relief efforts date to 1906 when Adolphus Busch donated to the American Red Cross to help victims of the San Francisco earthquake. 

The company is also a member of the Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program, which enables the Red Cross to respond immediately to the needs of individuals and families affected by disasters anywhere in the United States. 

“Relief workers and people in the community are in need of drinking water as they work to recover from the storms, and this is one way Anheuser-Busch can help our friends and neighbors,” Haas said.