Ambev’s nonalcoholic beer volume in Brazil rose 42.9% in the third quarter

Ambev’s nonalcoholic beer business in Brazil grew faster in the third quarter, even as the company’s broader beer portfolio in its home market moved in the opposite direction.

CNN Brasil reported on November 1 that the volume of nonalcoholic beer sold by Ambev in Brazil rose 42.9% from a year earlier between July and September 2026. Ambev’s own quarterly report, released on October 29, confirmed growth in the 40% range for the category, although it did not publish the decimal figure cited by CNN Brasil.

The figure points to an acceleration from the prior quarter. In April-June 2026, Ambev had said its nonalcoholic beer volume in Brazil increased in the 30% range from a year earlier. The comparison between the two company disclosures shows that growth strengthened in July-September.

The result matters because it came during a weaker period for Ambev’s mainstream beer business in Brazil. The company said the volume of its general beer portfolio in the country fell at a mid-single-digit rate in the third quarter. That means one of the brewer’s smaller but growing segments expanded rapidly while its core mass-market business contracted.

Ambev did not disclose the number of hectoliters sold in its nonalcoholic beer category for either quarter, and it did not provide a nine-month total for the segment. Without those starting volumes, it is not possible to calculate the absolute increase in sales or determine how much of the decline in mainstream beer volumes was offset by the growth of alcohol-free products.

The company’s disclosures also do not show the performance of the full Brazilian nonalcoholic beer market. The data refer only to Ambev’s own portfolio in Brazil, not to the category across the country. That distinction is important in a market where large brewers and smaller producers have all been expanding their low- and no-alcohol offerings, but where public data often lag behind company reporting.

Ambev is the leading brewer in Brazil by beer volume, according to its annual report for 2025. Its performance in nonalcoholic beer therefore offers an important signal about consumer demand in the country, even if it does not provide a complete picture of the market. A sharp gain by the largest player suggests that the segment is gaining traction more quickly than the company’s traditional beer lines.

The Brazilian brewer is controlled by Anheuser-Busch InBev, the Belgian-rooted group that ranked as the world’s largest beer producer in 2025 with 484.19 million hectoliters, according to industry supplier BarthHaas. That global scale has helped large brewers invest in alcohol-free brands, distribution and marketing at a time when consumers in many countries are showing greater interest in moderation, health and lower-alcohol options.

In Brazil, the stronger growth in alcohol-free beer stands out because the business is still developing from a smaller base than conventional lagers and other mainstream products. Fast percentage gains are easier to achieve in a young category, but the shift is still notable when it happens inside the country’s largest brewer during a quarter in which its broader beer volumes weakened.

The third-quarter data did not include a breakdown by individual brand, price tier or region inside Brazil. Ambev also did not say in the filing what portion of its total Brazilian beer volume now comes from nonalcoholic products. That leaves open several questions, including whether the growth was driven mainly by repeat purchases, wider retail distribution, new consumers entering the category, or some combination of those factors.

Even with those limits, the contrast between categories was clear in the company’s reporting. In July-September, Ambev’s nonalcoholic beer business in Brazil expanded at more than 40% from a year earlier, while its mainstream beer portfolio declined at a mid-single-digit pace. The gap suggests that Brazilian demand inside the company’s portfolio is becoming more uneven, with alcohol-free beer gaining momentum while traditional volume comes under pressure.

The 42.9% figure reported by CNN Brasil adds precision to Ambev’s broader statement, but the primary source remains the brewer’s October 29 quarterly release, which described the increase only as being in the 40% range. The data cover a physical volume measure, not revenue, pricing or currency effects. They compare sales volumes in July-September 2026 with those in July-September 2025.

For investors and analysts, that means the quarterly update shows direction and pace rather than the full economic impact of the category. A rapid increase in volume can indicate strong demand, but without disclosed hectoliter totals, pricing or margins, it cannot show how much the segment contributed to earnings or whether it materially changed the company’s overall beer mix in Brazil during the quarter.