Beer: Mexico consolidates export leadership

Mexico established itself as the leader in beer exports in the world in 2022, registering shipments of 6,031 million dollars, which represents a year-on-year increase of 7.4% and a record, according to data from the Bank of Mexico.

In the world ranking, the Netherlands was in second position, with 2,157 million dollars, which reflects a drop of 0.4% in 2022 over 2021.

The subsequent positions were occupied by Belgium (1,677 million dollars, a decrease of 16.2%), Germany (1,205 million, a fall of 14.4%) and the United Kingdom (598 million, an increase of 5.3 percent).

In Mexico, the American company Constellations Brands is building a new beer production plant in Veracruz, where it will mainly allocate an item of 1,000 million dollars that it scheduled for 2023, investments that are part of a multi-year amount allocated to the project.

Constellations Brands reported that the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the beer business has diminished considerably at this time; however, uncertainties remain, particularly around global supply chain disruptions and changing consumer behaviors.

For the company, fiscal year 2023 (ended February 28) was, and fiscal year 2024 is expected to continue to be, impacted by challenges with both global supply and transportation, which have contributed to higher cost of the product sold.

For example, wine produced in New Zealand and Italy and subsequently shipped to the United States – the world’s largest importer of beer – for distribution continues to be affected by rising shipping costs.

Additionally, during fiscal year 2022, the company experienced a shortage of brown glass purchases, affecting some of its imported beer brands. This supply returned to normal levels at the beginning of fiscal year 2023.

In 2021, Mexico sent 96% of its total beer exports to the United States and a year earlier that coverage was 92%.

Before Prohibition in the United States, in effect from January 17, 1920, to December 6, 1933, the American brewing industry consisted of hundreds of small breweries that brewed great-tasting beers.

Following the end of Prohibition, most U.S. breweries shifted production toward lighter, less flavorful beers, which use lower-cost ingredients and can be mass-produced to take advantage of economies of scale in production.

According to The Boston Beer Company, this shift toward mass-produced beers coincided with the consolidation of the brewing industry that, in 2008, resulted in the two largest brewers, Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) and Molson Coors Beverage Company, will account for more than 90% of all domestic beer production in the United States.

At the same time, over the past 20 years the number of breweries in the United States has increased significantly, from approximately 1,500 in 2009 to more than 9,000 in 2022.

Most of these breweries are craft (small and independent). The rise of craft brewers, along with the growth of imported beers, hard seltzers, and flavored malt beverages, has led to a decline in volume for the two largest brewers, which now account for approximately 77% of all domestic beer production. beer from the United States, excluding imports.

roberto.morales@eleconomista.mx