MINNEAPOLIS – Sentera today announced a long-term partnership with Anheuser Busch InBev SA/NV (‘AB InBev’), under which Sentera will deliver critical enabling technology for AB InBev’s SmartBarley platform which helps growers improve their productivity and secure the supply chain of the future.
SmartBarley will use Sentera’s technology to deliver unique agronomic insights with incredible, acre-by-acre precision. AB InBev’s team of expert agronomists will access this data to deliver value for some of their most valuable partners – the farmers that produce the high-quality ingredients inside AB InBev’s products.
Driven by real-time weather data, satellite, drone, and mobile phone imagery, and field activity information, SmartBarley’s analytics and alerting tools give agronomists unparalleled capability to rapidly detect problems, analyze alternatives, and work with farmers to take action. Precise, accurate data enables tailored application of crop inputs and water resources, eliminating overapplication and overuse of products and delivering the insights needed for growers to optimize land stewardship.
“We are excited to support AB InBev around sustainability and grower empowerment,” said Eric Taipale, CEO at Sentera. “AB InBev has made a powerful set of commitments to its growers, customers, and stakeholders. Likewise, Sentera’s technology has repeatedly demonstrated that farmer success, economic empowerment, and sustainable practices go hand-in-hand. This is a dramatic first for the CPG market, and we are proud to be teamed with AB InBev in this effort.”
Sentera works with many of the largest agriculture, forestry, and consumer-packaged goods companies to help drive efficiency and productivity through AI-driven digital insights.
AB InBev supports the livelihood of farming communities worldwide through teams of researchers and agronomists working directly with over 30,000 farmers across 13 countries and five continents, to grow beer ingredients — including barley, corn, rice, hops, sorghum and cassava.
In addition to having access to powerful tools, data and insights, farmers will be supported as part of AB InBev’ssustainability 2025 initiative, which aims to help farmers become more skilled, connected and financially empowered.
“Partnering with Sentera allows us to dramatically accelerate progress toward achieving our 2025 sustainability goal to ensure 100% of our direct farmers are skilled, connected and financially empowered,” said Ezgi Barcenas, global vice president of sustainability at AB InBev. “Technology and innovation play pivotal roles in reaching our goal as well as ensuring the long-term viability of our supply chains. Sentera is a key strategic partner in helping us achieve this commitment.”
According to Taipale, the partnership with AB InBev aligns with Sentera’s mission and core competencies.
“We strive to lead the market for in-season insights that maximize yield and profitability and help create a sustainable, secure global food supply,” Taipale said. “AB InBev is the perfect partner in this effort.”
ABInBev and Sentera have worked together since 2017 throughout the world. SmartBarley is now live in the countries and continents where AB InBev has direct barley growing programs.
###
About Sentera
Sentera is the global technology leader for in-season data, analytics, and insights for growers, deployed at scale. Sentera’s products make it easy for users to integrate in-field data insights with the digital ag platforms in use by more than 80 percent of the growers in North America. Sentera’s equipment has flown tens of millions of acres all over the world, and processes hundreds of terabytes of new data for its customers every year. For more information, visit www.sentera.com.
About AB InBev
Anheuser-Busch InBev is a publicly traded company (Euronext: ABI) based in Leuven, Belgium, with secondary listings on the Mexico (MEXBOL: ANB) and South Africa (JSE: ANH) stock exchanges and with American Depositary Receipts on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BUD). Our Dream is to bring people together for a better world. Beer, the original social network, has been bringing people together for thousands of years. We are committed to building great brands that stand the test of time and to brewing the best beers using the finest natural ingredients. Our diverse portfolio of well over 500 beer brands includes global brands Budweiser®, Corona® and Stella Artois®; multi-country brands Beck’s®, Castle®, Castle Lite®, Hoegaarden® and Leffe®; and local champions such as Aguila®, Antarctica®, Bud Light®, Brahma®, Cass®, Cristal®, Harbin®, Jupiler®, Michelob Ultra®, Modelo Especial®, Quilmes®, Victoria®, Sedrin®, and Skol®. Our brewing heritage dates back more than 600 years, spanning continents and generations. From our European roots at the Den Hoorn brewery in Leuven, Belgium. To the pioneering spirit of the Anheuser & Co brewery in St. Louis, US. To the creation of the Castle Brewery in South Africa during the Johannesburg gold rush. To Bohemia, the first brewery in Brazil. Geographically diversified with a balanced exposure to developed and developing markets, we leverage the collective strengths of approximately 175,000 employees based in nearly 50 countries worldwide. For 2018, AB InBev’s reported revenue was 54.6 billion USD (excluding JVs and associates).