Brazil Business
Zé Delivery, the brewer’s own ordering app, gives Ambev a close view of young buyers. Across Brazil, premium and lighter beers are growing fast while mainstream beer falls.
Ambev, the Brazilian brewer, says its own delivery app is helping it reach young adults of legal drinking age. Michelob Ultra, a beer brand many Americans know, grew more than five-fold in volume in Brazil last quarter.
The app is called Zé Delivery, and in the third quarter its total sales grew about 16%. Ambev reported this on 29 October 2026 in its quarterly results release.
Key Facts
•Who: Ambev, a Brazilian brewer whose brands include Skol, its mass-market lager, Stella Artois and Michelob Ultra.
•What: Zé Delivery, Ambev’s drinks-delivery app, grew total sales about 16% in the third quarter.
•Why: Across Brazil, premium, lighter and no-alcohol beers grew in the third quarter while mainstream beer volumes fell.
•Watch: Michelob Ultra, a beer Ambev groups under Balanced Choices, grew more than five-fold in volume in Brazil.
•Power Index: Brazil ranks 1st of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 74.2 points (November 2026 edition).
Why the App Matters to Ambev
Zé Delivery is Ambev’s own app for ordering drinks in Brazil. About 80% of its users are Gen Z and Millennials, the two youngest adult generations, according to Ambev’s results release of 5 May 2026.
Ambev says the app keeps it close to new trends and speeds up its test-and-learn cycle on new products. In plain words, the company can try an idea on real buyers and quickly see what works.
In the first quarter the app was an innovation hub for the launch of Skol Zero Zero, a no-alcohol beer. Almost 90% of consumers said their view of the brand was neutral or better after trying it.
What the Third Quarter Showed
GMV, which means the total value of sales through the app, grew about 16%, and monthly buyers rose 12%. Readers who want the profit picture can find it in our earlier Ambev earnings coverage.
Zé Marketplace, where extra products beyond beer are sold, is nearly 20% of total platform GMV. So close to one fifth of the app’s sales value now comes from the marketplace, which widens the range beyond beer.
Premium brands were about mid-thirties percent of beer volumes on the platform. Balanced Choices, Ambev’s own category for lighter and no-alcohol drinks, reached a high single digit percent, and both shares are well ahead of their place in Ambev’s overall beer portfolio.
Across Brazil, Ambev’s premium beer volumes grew in the high teens. Balanced Choices more than doubled in volume, and no-alcohol beer grew in the forties percent.
Stella Pure Gold, Ambev’s lighter-lifestyle Stella Artois variant, nearly tripled its volume in Brazil, while Michelob Ultra grew more than five-fold. For the wider beer numbers, see our earlier Ambev earnings coverage.
Mainstream volumes, meaning the core plus, core and value segments, fell by a mid-single-digit percent. Beyond Beer, which covers drinks other than beer, grew in the mid-twenties percent.
What It Means for You
For US readers, the app shows Ambev building a direct line to young customers. It also shows demand moving toward premium and lighter drinks, which matters when the company’s mainstream beer is shrinking.
Ambev says the app gives it a direct relationship with a large base of young adults of legal drinking age. That base is where it tests new products and promotions.
Anyone who follows Brazil’s consumer market can watch whether premium and lighter beers keep gaining while mainstream beer falls. That split is the clearest signal in the latest release.
What Is Not Known
Ambev does not break out Zé Delivery buyers by generation in the releases we reviewed. The 80% figure combines Gen Z and Millennials and comes from the May release.
That release also put the app at a mid-single-digit share of Ambev’s beer volumes in Brazil. The October release does not update either figure.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Zé Delivery?
Zé Delivery is Ambev’s own app for ordering drinks in Brazil. It also hosts Zé Marketplace, which sells products beyond beer.
How fast did the app grow in the third quarter?
Total sales through the app grew about 16%, and monthly buyers rose 12%, according to Ambev’s results release of 29 October 2026.
How many app users are Gen Z?
Ambev said in May 2026 that about 80% of the app’s users are Gen Z and Millennials. It did not repeat or split that figure in October.
Sources
Ambev results releases of 5 May 2026 and 29 October 2026 (ambev.com.br)
Connected Coverage
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. How we use AI · Report an error
LatAm Markets: Live Signals → — real-time movers, turnover leaders and FX across Latin America.
Brazil runoff, Sunday, October 25: When is the Brazil runoff election. Latest: Brazil runoff polls, Flávio 51%, Lula 49%.