Mexico’s share of the U.S. beer import market has been steadily increasing over the past decade, climbing from 59.4% in 2014.
In the first half of 2024, Mexico set a record, accounting for 83.9% of all beer imported into the United States, according to data from the U.S. Department of Commerce.
The U.S. imported $3.887 billion worth of beer from January to June this year, with Mexican shipments contributing $3.262 billion to that total.
Mexican Beer Imports to the U.S. Have Grown Steadily Since 2014
Since 2014, Mexico has boosted its market share by 24.5 percentage points, with more than eight out of every ten imported beers consumed in the United States now being produced in Mexico.
In the summer of 2023, a Mexican-made brand, Modelo Especial, unseated the domestic favorite Bud Light as the best-selling beer in the U.S., ending Bud Light’s two-decade reign at the top.
Following Mexico, the Netherlands ranked second in total beer imports to the U.S. in the first half of 2024, with $366 million, followed by Ireland ($83 million), Canada ($41 million), and Germany ($34 million).
Mexican Beer Exports Surge 33.8% in 2024
Between January and February 2024, Mexican producers exported more than $757 million worth of beer, according to the Central Bank of Mexico.
During the first two months of 2024, the industry sold over 684.49 million liters to the United States, Canada, Guatemala, Colombia, Honduras, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Panama, Belgium, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands.
At least 90% of these exports were destined for the United States and Canada, with over 617.54 million liters sent to these two countries alone. After a slow start to the year, this product orders from U.S. distributors surged in March 2024, according to the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA).
The NBWA notes a significant shift toward a more positive outlook for the beer industry in the U.S. in 2024, with notable double-digit growth in the premium, regular, and seltzer segments.
Global Breweries Are Investing in Mexico for Production
In recent years, the world’s two largest brewing companies, Belgian-Brazilian AB InBev and Dutch Heineken, along with U.S.-based Constellation Brands, have expanded their production capacity in Mexico.
During the fiscal year 2024 (ending February 29), Constellation Brands invested $1.269 billion in capital expenditures, with $947.9 million allocated primarily to Beer Projects in Mexico.
For fiscal year 2025, Constellation Brands plans to spend between $1.4 billion and $1.5 billion in capital expenditures, including approximately $1.2 billion earmarked for this segment, largely associated with Beer Projects in Mexico. The remaining capital expenditures for fiscal year 2025 are planned for upgrades to existing operational facilities and the replacement of equipment and/or buildings.
Bernardo Martínez, Vice President of Public Affairs of Constellation Brands Mexico, said that by the end of 2025 the company will start operating its new brewery in the state of Veracruz.
Additionally, AB InBev, in partnership with Millfoods, announced a $300 million investment to build a processing plant for locally grown corn in Guanajuato, Mexico. The project is expected to create over 1,000 jobs and benefit 20,000 Mexican farmers by 2024.
