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Only three beer categories outpaced the entire sector in IRI-tracked chain retail sales last year: Premium Plus (read: Michelob Ultra, +18.3%), craft (+13.2%), and imports (+12%). We're going to focus on the latter.
All of beer—not including FMBs—was up 7.9% in 2020 and the key to success for imports was the continued growth of Mexican brands. Of the $1 billion the import category added in IRI-tracked stores last year, 77% came from Constellation Brands' portfolio that includes Corona, Modelo, Pacifico, and Victoria. This is not new, as Mexican beer on a whole has dominated imports into the U.S., spurred by a growing number of Mexican and Latinx families and descendants with emotional (and commercial) interests in those brands. Sign up to read more.
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Words by Bryan Roth