In 2022, Mexico set another record for tequila production and exports. Mexican tequila producers produced 651.5 million and exported 416.8 million liters of the drink, up almost a quarter from 2021. This is reported by the Mexican Tequila Regulatory Council (CRT).
Over the past three decades, Mexican tequila production has grown by almost 526%, and exports have increased by 541%, said Ramon Gonzalez Figueroa, director of the Council, which is also responsible for certifying all product shipments. «No one in their right mind could have imagined that it was possible to certify such a number of liters. When the Council first appeared, in 1994, only 80 million liters were produced, today we see 651 million liters and an increase of 526%,” he said, presenting the results of CRT’s activities.
According to CRT, 651.5 million liters of the Mexican drink were produced in 2022, or 23.6% more than in 2021. Of these, 416.8 million were sold to other countries, which is 23.3% more than the previous year’s export volumes. Consequently, almost 64% of the tequila produced in Mexico was exported.
The top ten countries that import the most Mexican tequila are the United States, which accounts for 81.2% of the total volume of exported products (338.5 million liters). They are followed by Germany (10.3 million litres), Spain (8.94 million litres), France, England, Canada, Colombia, Italy, Australia and Japan. Currently, Mexican tequila is represented in more than 120 countries around the world.
63% of exported tequila is classified as 100% agave, which means it is a higher quality product because its sugars are derived entirely from blue agave juice, rather than by adding extraneous syrups.
Ramon Gonzalez Figueroa believes that the registration of intellectual property for the term «tequila» in 56 countries played a key role in promoting tequila to large consumer markets. For the first time, Mexico registered the word «tequila» as a protected geographical indication back in 1974.
There are two main types of tequila - 100% agave, which is made exclusively from blue agave syrup, and mixed tequila, in the production of which at least 51% of such raw materials are used, and the rest is tequila. other syrups. According to statistics from recent years, the production and export of tequila from «100% agave» is growing at a faster rate, now the share of «pure» of the drink in production is 72%, whereas 10 years ago it was slightly higher than 45%. Focus on exports encourages producers to produce high-quality tequila, while the production and export of premium varieties is growing at a faster pace.
Consumption of agave for tequila production in 2022 increased by 29.3% compared to 2021. Manufacturers used 2,600 million tons of raw materials purchased from nearly 36,000 Mexican farmers.
At the end of 2022, there were 2,148 active tequila brands registered in Mexico, of which 1,682 are Mexican and 466 — foreign.
Tequila — Mexican national strong alcoholic drink, which is obtained by distilling the fermented juice of blue agave. Name «tequila» is protected by international legislation on a geographical basis, therefore the drink can only be produced in the territory of 5 states of Mexico: Jalisco, Guanajuato, Michoacan, Nayarit and Tamaulipas. Real tequila can only be produced in Mexico. The tequila market, together with the whiskey market, are considered the fastest growing spirits markets in the world.