Exports of 100% agave tequila from Mexico rose 29% year-on-year in 2021, to a record 211.1 million liters.
This volume was a part of the total tequila exports in 2021, which grew 18.4%, at an annual rate, to reach 339.4 million liters, also a historical maximum.
After beer, tequila is the most exported beverage from Mexico to the world.
100% Agave Tequila
According to the National Chamber of the Tequila Industry (CNIT), 100% agave Tequila is one that is made exclusively from the sugars extracted from the agave and, therefore, the formulation can only consist of sending the juices to the fermentation vats and the addition of yeasts, adjustment of the optimum pH for the yeasts and adjustment of the appropriate °T.
The result of this operation is the fresh must, ready to start fermentation.
However, in the case of the Tequila category, it can be made with the participation of up to 49% of sugars from a source other than agave; in this case, the formulation consists of the mixture of the sugars extracted from the agave and from another source, as long as the participation of the latter is not greater than 49% of total reducing sugars expressed in units of mass.
In addition to the above, the addition of yeasts, adjustment of the optimal pH for the yeasts and adjustment of the appropriate °T are carried out. The result of this operation is the fresh must, ready to start fermentation.
According to CNIT statistics, tequila production was 527 million liters in 2021, an increase of 40.9% year-on-year.
Big enterprises
Today, according to Iconic Brands, the celebrity-brand alcohol industry is a largely consolidated industry, with the largest companies controlling a significant portion of industry revenue.
This includes existing industry players that are distillery companies that use their own spirits and parent brands to promote their products.
Additionally, these companies have a significant advantage over smaller players because they already have large bottling facilities and established brands.
The industry’s market share has increased slightly in recent years, as larger companies acquired smaller companies.
For example, Sammy Hagar sold an 80% stake to Gruppo Campari for $80 million, Bethenny Frankel sold her Skinny Girl Cocktail brand to Fortune Brands’ Beam Global for an estimated $100 million in 2011, and George Clooney sold his tequila company to Diageo for approximately $1 billion.
Participants and products in the celebrity brand spirits industry include, but are not limited to, Casamigos Tequila and George Clooney (2013), Ciroc Vodka and Sean Combs (2007), Skinnygirl Margarita and Bethenny Frankel (2011), and Cabo Wabo Tequila and Sammy Hagar (1996).
