Latin America

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…

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,…

Wine in Mexico registered total volume growth in 2023, with increases seen both on-trade and off-trade. During 2023, although wine imports suffered a considerable contraction due to a succession of frosts, droughts, and torrential rain, with…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Following the strong growth recorded in 2022, demand for wine in Colombia slowed down in 2023. The decline in volume and value sales can be attributed to the country's economic situation, where high inflation rates and low economic growth have…

Wine in Chile saw a total volume decline in 2023, with slightly falling sales both on-trade and off-trade. In wine, premiumisation encountered a notable deceleration in 2022 and 2023, influenced by the dual challenges of an unstable economic scenario…

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…

Wine in Bolivia saw total volume sales decline for a fourth consecutive year in 2023, and the category registered negative results in this regard at both the off- and on-trade levels. As was the case earlier in the review period, the contraction was…

In 2023, wine in Argentina experienced its third consecutive decline in total volume consumption. This was primarily due to a severe drought that significantly impacted wine production. Additionally, wine crops suffered from a frost in November 2022,…

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…

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…

Due to a reduction in celebrations and social gatherings, and the impact of inflation, spirits in Mexico showed a slight decrease in total volume terms in 2023, with on-trade sales seeing little movement, and off-trade sales declining. The national…

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 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…

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…

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…

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…

Spirits in Chile returned to slight total volume growth in 2023, with increases for both channels. Despite seeing a minimal total volume decline in 2023, pisco, a beloved spirit deeply ingrained in Chilean culture, has demonstrated remarkable…

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,…

While total volume sales of spirits in Bolivia increased in 2023, growth continued to be constrained by contraband trade. This was particularly the case at the off-trade level, which accounts for the lion’s share of consumption and where the category…

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…

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…

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 maintained solid total volume growth in 2023, with increases seen both on-trade and off-trade. RTDs is comprised of spirit-based and wine-based RTDs, plus other RTDs (mainly hard seltzers). It was the latter that showed the strongest total…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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,…

In 2023, Ready-To-Drink beverages (RTDs) in Chile saw a total volume decline, with falling sales both on-trade and off-trade. The category encountered a significant hurdle in the form of inflation, which played a pivotal role in curbing demand for…

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 Bolivia showed another solid performance in 2023, with off- and on-trade volume sales growing at robust rates. Continued investment in innovation and marketing activities helped to maintain strong consumer interest in the category. For…

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…

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…

Despite the negative trend in overall alcoholic drinks consumption, cider/perry showed a slight total volume increase in Mexico in 2023, although growth was driven by off-trade sales, as on-trade sales turned to decline. Total volume growth was…

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

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…

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…

Cider in Chile experienced only low total volume growth in 2023, with increases for both channels. Climate change emerged as a significant factor hampering growth. The production of cider relies heavily on the cultivation of apples, and the category…

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 in Bolivia posted a decline in total volume sales in 2023, with demand contracting at the off- and on-trade levels after having increased at a robust pace in 2022. The downturn was mainly attributable to contraband trade, particularly the…

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…

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.

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…

Beer in Mexico showed a total volume decline in 2023, as consumption normalised after a rebound to growth during the previous year. On-trade consumption declined slightly, as social gatherings and dining-out decreased compared with previous years,…

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…

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…