Brahma

"Ever since their acquisition of Brahma, the trio had dreamed of owning Budweiser. It was not only the world’s largest brewery, but also had what was probably the world’s best portfolio of beer brands. To make it an even more attractive target, AB possessed a tripod of (1) meager financial and (2) operational results, as well as (3) diffused stock ownership."

"The theme is also explored by Jim Collins, who coined the term Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals (BHAG), to suggest that companies that inspire their employees with a great, challenging goal, are the ones that succeed in the long run. With these lessons, the trio understood it had to attract people who are motivated by more than money: a big dream. With that in mind, Marcel Telles established Brahma’s first ever big dream: to become Brazil’s largest and best brewing company."

"MBAs AB InBev and the other companies owned by the trio also hire top-tier MBAs. It all started with Carlos Brito, who was the first student to have his MBA financed by Jorge Paulo Lemann, in the 1980s. After his Stanford program ended, Brito was hired at Garantia, and went on to Brahma after the acquisition. Lemann and his two main partners then founded Fundação Estudar, a charity focused on handing out merit-based loans to promising graduate and undergraduate Brazilian students. Fundação Estudar gave the trio an unprecedented pipeline of high-quality postgraduate students (since then, the NGO has extended its program to undergrads), a great number of which were hired within the trio’s companies. MBAs from the world’s top business schools are selected for summer internships, and the top performers are then extended full-time offers, very much like what happens at Wall Street firms."

"Brahma and the brewing business The year of 1989 brought the game-changing acquisition of Brahma, a Rio de Janeiro-based brewery, for $60 million. It was a controversial transaction amongst Garantia partners for its size, complexity, and timing. The acquisition came just months before the historic election of Fernando Collor de Mello against then-union leader Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva, who scared Brazilian businessmen with his harsh left-wing stances."

"The best part of those first ten years heading Brahma had been taken by Marcel’s efforts to build an all-star team at the company. He would call them “The Few. The Proud,” in an allusion to the U.S. Marine Corps slogan."