Japanese brewing giant Asahi has enlisted Molson Coors vet Paul Verdu to serve as managing director of Asahi Beer USA and Octopi Brewing in the U.S, the company announced today. Verdu started in the role in mid-January.
Verdu has served as president of Lake Louie-maker Wisconsin Brewing Company for the last three years, helping transform the craft brewery’s business with the addition of co-packing that took its total volume beyond 90,000 barrels in 2024, after doubling in 2023.
In his new role, Verdu will be responsible for Asahi’s U.S. operations, including domestic production of Asahi Super Dry, Kozel and Twisted Shotz cocktail shooters, among other products, as well as the plant’s contract brewing operations.
Asahi acquired Waunakee, Wisconsin-based Octopi Brewing in January 2024 to produce its premium beer portfolio for the U.S. market, ready-to-drink offerings and contract brewed products.
“I’m thrilled to join Asahi at this pivotal moment, as we prepare for production of Asahi’s brands at Octopi, right alongside our fantastic co-packing clients’ products,” Verdu stated in the announcement. “We are also focused on creating a combined organization that marries our commercial sales and marketing excellence, technical expertise and Asahi’s global scale to enable our future growth.”
In a message to Brewbound, Verdu said he believes Asahi Super Dry is the biggest opportunity ahead for Asahi’s U.S. business.
“It’s the No. 1 beer in Japan,” he stated. “It’s a fantastic beer of the highest quality and is widely appealing to the U.S. consumer beer palate.
“We’ve taken great care under the guidance of the Asahi brewers from Japan as we ramp up local production so it will be the best Asahi Super Dry ever sold in the country,” he continued. “Add that to the fact that Japanese culture is quite relevant in the U.S. right now, and I think we have a huge opportunity in front of us not only in our traditional areas of strength such as the dining occasions, but far beyond that!”
Verdu brings an extensive background at some of the largest brewing companies in the world. His prior roles included stints leading Molson Coors’ Tenth and Blake craft beer division as VP and general manager (December 2019 to April 2022), guiding the division’s sales and marketing (July 2017 to November 2019), leading Saint Archer (March 2017 to July 2017), working as president of SAB Miller in Canada November 2014 to November 2016) and guiding the marketing for the Modelo brand family, Pacifico, Victoria, Tsingtao and St. Paul Girl (May 2007 to June 2011), among others.
In addition to hiring Verdu, Asahi is investing more than $35 million in Octopi’s facility. Those upgrades started in 2024 and will continue over the next two years with a stated goal of improving safety and quality and enhancing the facility’s production and packaging capabilities.
Since acquiring Octopi, Asahi has grown the plant’s 241-person workforce by +5.4%, the company stated.
Isaac Showaki, who founded Octopi around a decade ago, is no longer with the company.