Kirin U.S. Facilities Move to Southland

The American subsidiary of Kirin Brewery Co. Japan said Thursday that it has moved its U.S. headquarters to Santa Monica to be closer to a new brewing operation and its West Coast customers.

Kirin, which recently signed a joint venture with the Anheuser-Busch plant in Van Nuys, considers the West Los Angeles area a strategic regional location, said Jim Tate, company controller.

“The Westside is growing economically and we will have more of an opportunity to go into the supermarkets and restaurants here,” he said. The new headquarters are at 2400 Broadway and will be staffed by 10 people.

Kirin, Japan’s largest brewer, has its strongest U.S. market on the West Coast and in Hawaii in part because of the region’s strong Japanese business presence, Tate said. Still, the company is seeking greater name recognition in an increasingly crowded market, he said.

That’s where Anheuser-Busch comes in.

Kirin’s partnership with Anheuser-Busch to produce beer for U.S. distribution was completed in June. Kirin owns 90% of the joint venture. Anheuser-Busch holds the remaining 10%. Anheuser-Busch also has an agreement with Kirin to produce and market its Budweiser beer in Japan.

“Anheuser-Busch has a fearsome marketing machine,” said Jack Kyser, chief economist for the Economic Development Corp. of Los Angeles County. “For Kirin this is a very, very wise move, and what Anheuser Busch will do is to give Kirin some good, solid shelf space.”

Kirin is building a new brewing facility at the Van Nuys plant, which Anheuser-Busch considered closing in the early ‘90s. Production is scheduled to begin next month.

Tate said Kirin will use Anheuser-Busch’s existing bottling line at the Van Nuys plant, but the Japanese beer company will use its own brew master to supervise the making of Kirin beer. The new facility will brew the company’s three premier specialty beers: Kirin Lager, Kirin Ichiban and Kirin Light.

Whether the brewing plant will create jobs in the area is dependent upon Kirin’s success in the country, Tate said.

“We might foresee the increase of the personnel, but at the moment it depends on how fast we grow,” he said.

In conjunction with the move, the company has also officially changed its name from Kirin USA Inc. to Kirin Brewery of America.

Kirin’s previous U.S. headquarters were in New York.