E-Malt.com News article: United States: MillersCoors says has no intentions of closing its hometown Milwaukee Brewery

MillerCoors has no intention of ending production at its hometown Milwaukee Brewery, Julian Green, director of media relations for Miller Coors, said in an official statement on May, 21, responding to ‘sensational statements and over-the-top media reporting of the last few days about the impact of the proposed Milwaukee water rate increase’.

The plant is operating at historically high volume levels since the successful joint venture between Miller and Coors launched nearly two years ago, MillerCoors said.

“Like any good business, we constantly monitor our production costs across our facilities and seek efficiency and competitive advantage by spreading volumes optimally across our operations. While we are concerned about the proposed water utility rate increases, these costs are only part of a much bigger picture. We are only looking to lessen the financial impact to our Milwaukee operation due to the heavy volumes we utilize. We’ve been brewing great beer in Milwaukee for over 150 years with strong and continuous support from the leadership of The City of Milwaukee, Milwaukee County and State of Wisconsin. In fact, in response to the proposed water rate increase, the City of Milwaukee and Wisconsin State Legislature assisted us in passing SB651, which includes language to offset a portion of any potential future increase. We’d ask everyone to relax and enjoy one of our fine beers with the reassurance that we will be making beer in Miller Valley for many years to come,” the statement reads.

The speculation about MillerCoors’ future in Milwaukee was fuelled last week by the State Public Service Commission’s consideration of higher water rates.


26 May, 2010