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get completely snarled up with cars
filled with families trying to flee the
city in search of nature and clean air
in, say, Toluca.
Drink
The Mexican national drink is
tequila. This liquor, served complete
with lemon and a pinch of salt on the
back of the hand, is mainly popular in
the relatively cold winter months of
January and February, but people also
like to drink tequila in other seasons
of the year.
With a volume of 39 million hecto
litres a year the Mexican beer market
ranks number eight in the world and
the end of the growth is not yet in
sight. Each year the market grows by
an average of three per cent.
Demographieally speaking, Mexico
is a young country; as many as 43% of
all inhabitants are younger than 14.
Over the long tearms this means a
sunny future lies ahead for the
Mexican breweries.
The Mexican beer market has
been changing rapidly in recent years.
Market segmentation was started
when the breweries realised that the
Left, Luis Madraz, general manager of
Cervezas Mundiales. Right, marketing
manager Martin Hutchinson.
country's economic growth had con
sequences for consumer behaviour.
The consumer expects more quality
and a better image and is also willing
to pay for this. The breweries respon
ded to this tendency by introducing
stronger beers in the premium seg
ment.
Despite the relatively low per capi
ta consumption (45 litres) the
Mexican has a special liking for beer.
Flspecially for beer from his own
country. Mexicans can spend hours
debating the $64,000 question of
which beer is the best: Tecate or
Lager XX (Dos Equis), Corona or
Superior, Carta Blanca or Modelo.
Foreign beers do not yet enter into the
discussion. 'Mexico brews the best
beers in the world' is the firm convic
tion of the vast majority of Mexican
beer drinkers.
Mexican men (Mexican women
generally do not drink beer) like to
raise their glass during a meal, but
also find plenty of other occasions to
drink beer; a meeting with friends, on
vacation, at home and during public
holidays. You won't find any draught
beer in Mexico.
Handicap
That pride in the national brews is
not only a characteristic of the
Mexican beer culture but also forms a
handicap for the imported beers,
which account for a mere 1% of the
total beer market. Incidentally, the
range of imported beers is of modest
size. Two beer brands from - where
else? - the United States and two
brands from Europe (including
Heineken) play a significant role. In
the years between 1980 and 1988
imported beers were virtually non-
T II E WORLD OF HEINEKEN
