Mexico’s craft beer industry has undergone a leap forward in terms of professionalism over the past 24 months and has become an important source of employment for thousands of Mexicans. This was the verdict of the founder of Mexico’s annual craft beer event, Cerveza Mexico, who hailed the participation of 140 brewers and 2,000 industry professionals at the recent exhibition.

The event, which took place in Mexico City’s World Trade Center from October 21-23, featured the announcement of three winners of the Cerveza Cup 2022, a prize which recognizes achievements in innovation and quality excellence in Mexican craft beer. 

To decide the prize, 47 international judges evaluated some 709 craft beers from a total of 136 breweries across Mexico, with the beers classified in 43 categories.

Marking the culmination of Cerveza Mexico, the judges announced the winners of the Cerveza Cup 2022 in the Best Small, Medium and Large Breweries categories, which went to: Cervecería Capital Pecado (Small); Kaminari Brewing (Medium) and Buqui Bichi Brewing (Large).

In terms of numbers, 140 breweries took part in Cerveza Mexico 2022, which this year included pavilions for the regions of Baja California and San Luis Potosí.

The parallel suppliers and Inputs show featured more than 40 producers of ingredients (malt, yeast and hops), as well as packaging, label, bottle and can suppliers. Cerveza Mexico 2022 also played host to the 2nd annual Latin American Meeting of Women Brewers.

The success of the event has also prompted the launch of a new show, Cerveza Mexico Guadalajara, which will take place for the first time in Guadalajara, Mexico from May 12-14, 2023 with the participation of more than 80 craft breweries. 

After no events in 2020 and limited capacity shows in 2021 (with under 100 companies present at the exhibition), Cerveza Mexico 2022 marked a huge vote of confidence for the Mexican craft beer industry, with over 16,000 visitors recorded during its three-day run.

Leap forward

Cerveza Mexico founder, Marcos Gottfried, said the 2022 event also demonstrated important advances in professionalism in the industry over the past two years, not just in terms of production and marketing, but also in the quality of the craft beers being delivered.

He said: “There has been a spectacular leap forward and the fact that everyone is able to meet under the same roof has only accelerated this process. The quality of the craft beers being presented at the exhibition were very different to those we saw only two years ago. 

“The same judges who attended Cerveza Mexico as part of the Cerveza Cup said there had been a significant improvement in the quality of Mexican craft beer during the 24 months, concluding that Mexico had now set the bar very high at a global level in terms of craft beer quality.”

With the 2022 edition including over 140 exhibitors, more than 700 brands and around 2,000 craft beer professionals, Gottfried said the organizers felt a great responsibility towards helping the industry to continue to advance forward.

“The craft beer industry is a business that provides jobs to thousands of Mexicans and for that reason we are wholly committed to continuing to support the sector,” he continued. 

At the same time, Gottfried recognized the industry faces challenges in the form of the ongoing drought in northern Mexico and a reliance on inputs sourced from Europe. “These are important challenges, which the industry has to overcome through identifying new alternatives and looking at how we can continue to excel and grow,” he said.

Coorganizer Ana Rosa Corral commented: “During this edition of Cerveza Mexico, we saw an eagerness to do business and a huge enthusiasm after more than two years of the pandemic. I witnessed a highly-motivated industry with lots of projects and growth ahead of it, as well as lots of visitors looking to learn about how to brew their own beer, or looking to distribute a brand or open a tap room, restaurant or bar featuring craft beers.”

Continued growth

Consumption of Mexican craft beer is on the rise across Mexico and beyond, thanks to ever greater quality and innovation in an industry that now accounts for one in every 100 beers sold in the country, according to Mexican beer association Acermex.

Unlike other industries which were badly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, Mexico’s beer industry has thrived over the past two years, with Mexico selling close to 5.5 million litres of beer between January-May 2021, a increase of almost 41%, said Mexican national statistics agency INEGI. 

Gottfried attributed the growth in sales to an increasingly confident Mexican craft beer industry, which is gathering ever greater numbers of aficionados thanks to its quality and originality. 

He added: “We have seen growth year after year in the craft beer industry and that is down to the dramatic improvement in product quality which is driving consumption and sales.”

Cerveza México Guadalajara takes place from May 12-14, 2023 in Expo Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.