Latin America

Sales of cider/perry remained negligible in Ecuador in 2021.

Ecuador’s widespread vaccination campaign helped Ecuador to start 2022 with the effects of the pandemic greatly reduced. There were still outbreaks in the first quarter due to the omicron variant, which led to mild restrictions during this period.…

Alcoholic drinks witnessed strong growth in total volume terms in 2022 despite the economic difficulties facing many consumers in Guatemala, some of whom rely on economic support from family living in the US. Sales of alcoholic drinks in Guatemala…

A number of key sporting events boosted beer sales in 2022. Guayaquil hosted the final of the Copa Libertadores bringing many tourists in from Latin America, most of them Brazilians who enjoy drinking beer. Amstel launched a special commemorative…

Beer dominates sales of alcoholic drinks in the country in total volume terms, but despite this these products continue to see growing interest from Guatemalan consumers. Beer saw strong growth in total volume terms in 2022 boosted by the sustained…

Azende Corp Cía Ltda continues to lead the RTD category in 2022 with its Switch brand. Aimed at young adults, Azende has used a strong social media campaign with a funny and fresh message to engage its audience. Switch is a well-known spirit-based…

Cervecería Centroamericana SA successfully launched its Karma brand of spirit-based RTDs during the review period. The brand has taken advantage of its lower price positioning (GTQ5 per 350ml unit), a strong distribution reach in modern, traditional…

The spirits category has been greatly affected by the increase in ICE tax (Special Consumption Tax) for alcoholic beverages, which is a tax levied on each litre of pure alcohol. Since the spirits category has the highest levels of alcohol, it has…

Industrias Licoreras de Guatemala SA has the widest portfolio of spirits in the country, with popular brands that attract different target audiences, ages, and budgets. For example, within the premium segment the company offers Zacapa Centenario,…

The consumption of wine has increased considerably in Ecuador due to it being an accessible and fashionable beverage for aspirational consumers. In 2022, premium and economy wines are both gaining popularity. Higher income groups are less price…

Players continued to invest in the expansion of wine in the country in 2022 with this delivering positive results. Wine sales continued growing in total volume terms in 2022, with wine reaching new consumers as well as seeing an increase in per…

Costa Rica registered healthy volume growth in alcoholic drinks in 2022. Part of the reason for the positive performance was increased socialising, as society fully opened up post pandemic lockdowns. The FIFA World Cup in December also contributed to…

In 2022, positive growth was seen from all alcoholic drink categories, with the return of socialising following the outbreak of COVID-19 increasing total volume sales. This has given rise to consumption occasions, allowing beer and RTDs to gain new…

Macroeconomic indicators played a huge role in the evolution of the alcoholic drinks market in Uruguay in 2022. As in most countries, inflation was a major issue during the period. Inflation ended at around 9% in 2022, the third highest recorded in…

Beer registered healthy volume growth in 2022. Part of the reason for the positive performance was increased socialising, as society fully opened up post pandemic lockdowns. The FIFA World Cup in December also contributed to the high levels of…

Due to the ongoing economic and social crisis, Peruvian consumers have been turning to beer, which offers price points aligned with reduced disposable budgets. Additionally, Heineken's entry in 2019 saw a greater offer of brands available at various…

Almost all beers performed well in 2022, both in the off-trade and on-trade channels, and amongst beers, imported brands performed better than the average. Stella Artois and Nova Schin were amongst the most successful of the imported brands in 2022.

Cider has been losing share amongst Uruguay alcoholic drinks options for the last 15 years. Although it witnessed an unexpected strong bounce in 2020 (related to voluntary home seclusion during the pandemic) and further marginal growth in 2021, the…

RTDs in Costa Rica are growing in popularity, especially among younger generations as they are often sweet, also often have low-calorie content and a low ABV, especially RTDs such as hard seltzers. Parents also like RTDs as introductory drinks for…

2022 was a year of accelerated growth for RTDs, with the landscape having seen ongoing growth since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. This has made RTDs an attractive proposition for both local and foreign companies, which have found opportunities…

RTDs was one of the biggest winners in the Uruguayan alcoholic drinks market in 2022. Of the different RTDs segments, spirit-based drinks put in the best performance over the review period as a whole. Growth has been in line with the trend towards…

Spirits registered very healthy double-digit volume growth in 2022. Part of the reason for the positive performance was increased socialising, as society fully opened up post pandemic lockdowns. The return of foreign tourists also contributed to the…

Due to the rising premiumisation trend, which continued into 2022, the sector has grown considerably, favouring sales of beverages in spirits. As such, 2022 saw accelerated growth in the sales volume for tequila, bourbon / other US whiskey, gin and…

The overall volume sales of spirits climbed in 2022. Although the volume sales through off-trade channels of almost all categories fell during the year, the total market volume ended on the positive side. Total volume sales were boosted by the growth…

Wine registered very healthy volume growth in 2022. Part of the reason for the positive performance was increased socialising, as society fully opened up post pandemic lockdowns. The return of foreign tourists also contributed to the growth, as well…

Due to the economic climate in 2022, partnered with the ongoing cost-conscious behaviour triggered by the start of COVID-19, low-cost options have been preferred among many consumers. This has led to the strong performance of beer and RTDs. As such,…

Currently, the main threat to the wine industry of Uruguay is imports of Argentinean wines. Local consumers have easy access to these wines, which are very good quality and very cheap in comparison with Uruguayan wines. Although imported wines pay…

2022 marked a significant step in Brazil’s post-COVID-19 recovery, as consumers began to fully embrace socialisation and return to their former habits. Many people went back to their offices, resumed open-air sports, and reconnected with friends by…

The picture was bleak for alcoholic drinks in Dominican Republic in 2022. The war in Ukraine had a negative impact, with the resultant energy crisis leading to high inflation and dampening volume sales somewhat. That being said, the appreciation of…

Following the remarkable success of beer in 2021, the category demonstrated resilience and continued to achieve total volume growth in 2022. The return of socialisation, events, and on-trade consumption occasions played a significant role in…

It was a negative year for beer in the Dominican Republic in 2022, with a significant decline in volume sales. The war in Ukraine had a negative impact, with the resultant energy crisis leading to high inflation and dampening volume sales and also…

It is important to understand consumer behaviour during times of high inflation, especially in Brazil, including the inflationary situation in 2022. Inflation has been a long-standing issue in Brazil, and the memory of high inflation during the 1990s…

Cider/Perry continued to be niche product in terms of value and volume sales. However, it registered high double-digit volume growth in 2022. Cider/perry benefitted from the removal of pandemic restrictions and increased socialising through on-trade…

While RTDs has experienced consistent total volume growth over the years, even throughout the pandemic, it is currently facing some challenges, which caused a slowdown in its momentum in 2022. One of the main issues is the relatively high unit prices…

RTDs in Costa Rica are growing in popularity, especially among younger consumers as they are often sweet and this suits a less developed palette. In 2022, RTDs registered healthy double-digit volume growth. However, in spite of this significant…

Whiskies experienced rapid total volume growth in Brazil in 2022, even amidst the challenging macroeconomic conditions and the income constraints of Brazilian consumers. The whiskies renaissance in Brazil can be attributed to various trends,…

Overall, spirits registered a slight increase in volume sales in 2022, but performance varied widely across different products. Spirits that registered healthy growth were premium offerings of tequila (and mezcal), as well as whiskeys, with some…

Still light grape wine in Brazil predominantly consists of still red wine, which accounted for three quarters of total volume sales in 2022. This category is heavily reliant on imports. However, inflation and increased costs in Europe led to higher…

While beer suffered volume decline in 2022, the picture was much more positive for wine, with double-digit volume growth, in spite of high inflation stemming from an energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine. That being said, the appreciation of…

Steady economic growth in Honduras in 2023 boosted consumption and demand for beer, wine, spirits, and RTDs, with beer being the largest category. Sales through restaurants, bars, and nightclubs continued to grow, with a recovery in the on-trade…

Argentina found itself navigating through turbulent economic waters in 2023, grappling with political dysfunction and economic instability against the backdrop of one of the world's highest inflation rates. The prevailing macroeconomic environment…

2023 was a more challenging year for alcoholic drinks in Colombia, both in the retail channel and the on-trade including bars, restaurants and night clubs. After the strong growth recorded following the end of the pandemic, high inflation impacted…

In 2023, beer in Argentina experienced negative growth, primarily influenced by a combination of rampant inflation and increasing costs of essential goods such as energy and food. These economic challenges significantly impacted both companies and…

Beer in Colombia achieved positive retail volume growth in 2023, despite the inflationary pressures impacting consumers’ budgets. The affordability of beer compared to other alcoholic drinks supported category sales, although there was a notable…

Despite the economic crisis, cider sales exhibited positive growth in Argentina in 2023. This growth was driven by an increasing number of consumers regularly choosing cider over sparkling wine and beer. Significant investments were observed from…

In 2023, demand for cider/perry declined in Colombia where consumption of cider is very low and by far the smallest of the five main alcoholic drinks categories. Most local consumers are not aware of this product, because of its limited availability…

The year 2023 witnessed a challenging landscape for Ready-to-Drink (RTDs) sales in Argentina, predominantly shaped by the pervasive grip of inflationary pressures. This economic phenomenon exerted significant strain on the purchasing power of…

Although the consumption of RTDs is still small in Colombia, this is the fastest growing category within alcoholic drinks in 2023. RTDs continue to draw the attention of younger adults, not only due to the lower alcohol content and sweeter flavours,…

Spirits sales exhibited stagnation in terms of total volume in Argentina in 2023, as consumers' purchasing power deteriorated against rampant inflation. However, some spirits continued to outperform, notably bitters, which hold the majority of…

Spirits faced a challenging year in 2023 due to the complex macroeconomic environment, high inflation rates and low economic growth in Colombia. Consumers traded down between categories and brands due to lower purchasing power. Although the total…