Guadalajara, Jal. The production of tequilathe most representative beverage in Mexico with a presence in 120 countries, grew 526% between 1995 and 2022.
From the creation of the Tequila Regulatory Council (CRT) the production of the drink went from one million liters produced 29 years ago, to 104 million in 1995 and 651 million at the end of 2022.
“Exports grew 541%; it went from 65 million liters exported in 1995, to 416 million liters in 2022”, he commented to The EconomistRamón González Figueroa, director of the CRT that this May 17th celebrates the 29th anniversary of its foundation.
He mentioned that by 1995, the farmers in the field who were engaged in agave cultivation They totaled 300, while at the end of 2022, 36,603 agro-producers were counted, a figure that represented an increase of 12,101%.
“The Regulatory Council is the guarantor of the Designation of Origin Tequila (DOT), and one of the great contributions that the CRT has had in these 29 years, is generating value and confidence in a drink that nobody believed in,” said its director.
And it is that, despite the fact that the decree of the Designation of Origin Tequila It dates from 1974, he said, in the 20 years that elapsed from that date until 1994 – when the CRT was created – “the industry did not grow at all.”
In addition to the fact that 90,000 families currently depend on this agribusiness, González also highlighted the tax revenue it generates since in 2022, only for the Special Tax on Production and Services (IEPS), the industry generated 7,800 million pesos.
replicable model
According to González Figueroa, the coordinated work model between agricultural producers, industrialists, bottlers, marketers and the government is what has allowed tequila to break its own historical records year after year over the last decade, and can be replicated in other denominations of origin.
“It is a model that can be replicated in other successful production chains because it makes use of all the tools of intellectual property, development of micro, small and large companies; It is a model that works very well. The objectives of the Tequila Regulatory Council they are the verification and certification of strict compliance with the rules for our national drink par excellence”, explained the director of the organization.
positive projection
Despite the positive indicators it has had so far, the tequila It will continue to grow in Mexico and the world this 2023, anticipated the director of the CRT, Ramón González.
From January to April of this year, exports reached 137.6 million liters, which represents a growth of 10% compared to the same period of the previous year.
Meanwhile, production increased 16% in the first four months of this year, going from 199 million liters in the period January-April 2022 to 230.9 million liters produced in the same period of this 2023.
“It strikes me that the vast majority of transnational companies turned to see a drink with a 100% Mexican designation of origin to invest in it… In 1995 there were 296 brands of tequila and they went to 2,148 in 2022; that is, they grew 625%; there were 36 distilleries and today there are 184 more that accumulate this year”, González Figueroa specified.
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