ZX Ventures, AB InBev’s global growth and innovation division, have responded to Beer & Brewer’s questions regarding their involvement with RateBeer as reported last week.
When asked what value having a stake in RateBeer holds for AB InBev, ZX Ventures’ Samantha Roth said: “ZX gains access to insights around consumer trends, a better understanding of the beer consumer and beer markets around the world, which enables us to keep our finger on the pulse.
“We believe RateBeer is the tool to help beer drinkers best navigate the sometimes overwhelming beer market, better informing them of all the beer selections so they can make the best choice for their tastes.”
In response to breweries like Dogfish Head and Harpoon Brewery who have publicly asked RateBeer to remove ratings and mentions about them from the website, Roth described the reaction as “unprecedented”.
“Like any other consumer ratings and review platforms, it would be unprecedented for businesses to request removal of their company profiles, or valid user ratings and reviews from consumers.”
Roth also said she was unable to disclose any further details around the size or terms of the investment.
See below for the full statement from ZX Ventures:
“ZX Ventures, AB InBev’s global growth and innovation division, confirms we have taken a minority stake in RateBeer, a website dedicated to serving the craft beer community through beer education, promotion and outreach.
RateBeer founder Joe Tucker is continuing to grow the RateBeer community globally and developing a series of great tools for users, including an improved website, a new mobile app, additional language packs and more social media connectivity. We’re excited to support him and have the opportunity to move the RateBeer community to a global scale.
RateBeer is rooted in the idea that the beer community needs an independent, unbiased source of beer information on an open platform. Nothing about that will change with this investment. RateBeer will continue to support beer lovers around the globe who contribute to and learn from each other on the best platform for finding, reviewing and rating beers.
The beauty and value of RateBeer is that it remains an open platform for consumers to add to the selection at any time, which only serves to broaden their choice and variety of beer options.
While RateBeer offers selection, we also believe the platform offers the tools to help consumers best navigate the sometimes overwhelming beer market. We want to empower consumers to be well-informed, helping them to make the best decisions, which only helps move the entire beer industry forward.”